Author's Note: This fanfic is primarily about Stallion and his past, which is completely made up in my twisted mind. None of these characters actually appear in the Suikoden games (with the exception of Stallion of course), but that does not matter, ne? This chapter will be misunderstood and unclear until I write the rest of the story. Hopefully this will be somewhat entertaining despite that obvious fact. If not, just wait until I write the parts that actually have Stallion in them! Until then, ja ne and enjoy..

Chapter One

She felt warm pinpoints of light on her cloaked back as she walked under the verdant canopy of trees. The trees were huddled together, as if sharing a secret of the infinite natural silence they only knew. She looked up at them in a humanlike way, noting the bright green clusters of leaves that were so large even one could be used as a bonnet for her head. She lightly walked on, feeling the warm and fuzzy moss under her bare cream-colored feet. Her toenails were sharp and long, and as she stepped over the ground, they scraped the little oval pebbles that were littered under the trunks of the immense trees. A soft wind breathed through the forest, interrupting for only a few seconds the poetic splendor of its soundless world. She closed her eyes and paused, feeling the warm breath of the air blowing her knotted hair about her face. With a sweep of her slender fingers, she gathered the loose azure strands and whisked them behind her.

As she did so, the light illuminated her face through an opening in the canopy of leaves, and her clear eyes caught the sun. They were strangely beautiful, with the black and lavender shifting colors flowing in them like the colors of water at dusk. Her face was abruptly pointed at the chin, and her nose aristocratically was long and pointed out greatly, too much for a human. Her ears were also great and pointed as her nose was, and several gold and silver ornate earrings hung from the lobes. These traits were as common among her people as rounded ears and short noses were among humans. Yet her people had traits and divine powers and abilities humans had never seen before.

Through the dark mahogany path that was beat out under many feet she wandered at a remarkably quick pace. She sensed a sacred place nearby, a warm and inviting location, one she called with the familiar air of “home.” Her long blue locks were shiny like dewdrops upon grass blades, and in one long cascade collapsed down her slender neck. She curved her step, and stepping up onto a large boulder beside the path, began to climb up a sharp incline of a hill, covered in dry brown leaves and small ebony rocks. She reached the top within minutes, a place where no trees could grow, and looked down into the sloping valley resting below her at about fifty feet or more. The sun was setting now, and the purple of the approaching night dipped the mountains beyond as if with a celestial paint. She sighed inaudibly with a sense of relief. She finally was home in the valley. Her valley. The valley of those mysterious beings we humans might call “elves”.

The rounded hut was thatched with brown dry leaves, which were crusted with age, but packed together tightly with sticky mud between the cracks. This house was made stronger over time, as there was a day ever autumn dedicated to packing on more of the leaves and mud from the forest so that the hut could last through the rough winter ahead. Now, in the inky dark of evening, a warm light could be seen from the dark inside of the hut, and muffled voices rose into the night air.

“Have you seen her at all today?” A strong, forceful male voice interrogated impertinently.

“Why, no, sir. She must have gone out into the Wood.” A thinner voice, apparently belonging to a person of the servant class, answered with an air of mild fright.

“Of course she went out into the Wood! Isn’t obvious, you silly fool! There is no other place in which she can go. She must realize that it is against the Decree to leave the village unaided and unaccompanied. It will lead to her premature death, no doubt.” The strong male voice quieted, as if listening to the wind outside the house. All was as silent as a dream. Yet, his keen ear suddenly picked up the tiniest sound of a grass blade as it split. He smiled with a secret personal victory. Grabbing the servant about the shoulders, he raced through the sheeted door.

“Halt!” He ordered, as a shadow in the grass faltered. “Do come here, and state your business with our village.” The male grinned, his sharp teeth gleaming. He knew very well who the shadow was, and he intended to humiliate her extensively.

Submissively, the feminine shadow stepped forward. The tall male eyed her, one eyebrow raised in mocking question, a tiny hidden smile curling at his lips. The perfect curve of her body was distinct and alluring to him, even in the shifting shadows of the night. Stealthily he stepped forward in the dark, as his servant boy lingered behind.

“Ah, so tell me Fell, how was your day to-day?” His slick voice, like liquid, suddenly whispered in her ear. “I am quite sure Furioso would also love to hear about it.”

“Camargue, is that you?” Fell spat in disgust as realization washed over her. She backed quickly away from the hulking shadow in front of her. The night was advancing quickly, but she could barely distinguish his gaunt form against the twilight.

“Of course, my dear Fell, and before this night is done, you shall wish it was not.” The shadows shifted furiously, and suddenly heavy muscular appendages gripped her waist violently. She gasped and struggled with her weak might, trying to unlock the tight grip with her small hands, but the rough arms held fast. Weakly, she submitted to the unyielding clasp, and she felt herself being lifted and carried further into the darkness. The last glimpse of the outside night she had was of the white dots of stars over an ebony painted sky.

Camargue tossed the torpid form of Fell onto the dusty dirt floor of the hut, and she struggled to a sitting position immediately. He lit a tiny candle, which gave off a weak, sluggish light, leaving everything in the room fuzzy and dim. The light revealed his tall, arrogant form, and it did not hide the irrepressible and darkly handsome tint of his scarlet eyes, which proved ghastly haunting and beautiful.

Fell looked about the tiny one-room hut, and was shocked somewhat to find that others lingered in the shadows. Three forms waiting, with a patient and mysterious air that seemed quite dangerous to her. She straightened and pulled herself abruptly to her feet, and faced the darkest corner of the hut, where the figures lingered. Camargue shuffled closer to them, and opened his cruel but handsome mouth to speak.

“Sir Furioso, I hope I shall please you in relating that this young lady has broken one of your pronouncements, a very terrible act indeed, my liege.” With this he bowed to the dark form, yet holding Fell’s wrist, his nails cutting into her flesh. Even in the faint light she could see the intensity with which he clamped her wrists with his long, spindly fingers. Silence veiled the room once again as Fell stopped struggling under Camargue’s pressure, and she turned her head to face the shadows in whose hands her fate was left.

The quiet seemed to last forever, until it made Fell question if there really was someone lurking in those fathomless shadows. When the scratchy voice did crack the stillness, a tiny gasp caught in her throat, but she listened with intensity.

“Camargue,” the broken voice stated, “I cannot reveal how superbly you protect this settlement in this time of trouble. The human world never ceases to doubly frighten and amaze me, and without your organization we might have not been able to keep our world enveloped in secret.” Camargue managed a weak half-smile of pride, and held Fell closer to him, even as she grimaced.

“And you,” the scratchy voice directed itself at the crouched Fell, “Indeed, you have broken a law here: not to leave this village unless given exclusive permission. You are but a lady, and the world of humans is not one you want to witness at any cost. The mere sight of you would blight their entire existence, for they do not understand us. Your punishment will be a terrible one, dear female, I am sorry to report, but you must understand our species is dying out. You are safer here, although your heart may believe otherwise.” The grim voice cut into Fell’s soul, but the voice was not unkind; it had a sympathetic tone to it that subtly pitied her. Camargue was keen enough to notice, and the sympathy angered him.

“And you shall keep your promise to me? You will reward me as you promised, my liege?” Camargue asked quite loudly, and the blared interrogation caused the small shadow to take a tiny step back. Fell glanced at him in confusion. What is this he is speaking of, she thought.

“I am left with no choice, soldier, but before it is carried out, please leave us, Camargue. You as well, “ the elder commanded Camargue’s two henchmen who were lingering dumbly at the entrance. With a apparent scowl, Camargue glared at Fell in rampant disgust, flipped his red velvet cape over his shoulder, and stalked out into the night. Shrugging, his shorter and fatter counterparts followed him through the cloth door.

Fell watched them leave, and stared at the door until the sound of their feet on the soft dusty path could not be heard. She then turned her azure head towards the shadow of the elder in the background, and stood up immediately in respect. The dim candle could not touch his body, and Fell wondered why he did not want her to see him. He was an old one, she was sure. Did he believe he was ugly due to time’s hands of age? This amused her somewhat, but she could never ask the elder something of that nature.

“Fell.” The voice ruptured the stillness, and his movement made the candle flicker. “I know you are spirited and wild, but tell me, if you had the chance, would you leave this place?”

Fell was so taken aback by the random question it left her almost speechless. “I, well,” she started, gazing at her bare and dirty feet. Looking up, she decided to let her heart talk. “Sir, I love my home and my neighbors here in our village, in our valley, and I would never leave here by choice. Yet it is not enough for me. I want to see the wide world, Sir Furioso, as I am sure you once did.” The thought of exploring made her heart content, and something in the shadow’s mood seemed to soften.

“Surprising you know of my past. Most young ones do not care about the past and the history of our species. I knew you were somewhat different, Fell, and perhaps one day you will help us all.” Hope sounded in the old one’s voice, and Fell wondered at his words.

“How am I to help? Ah, forgive me sir, for I do not understand.”

“The humans, Fell. You will help by bringing us peace with the humans.”

“The humans?” Fell mumbled in confusion.

“They have never trusted us and our ways. We are no longer respected and adored creatures, for magic is becoming less and less rare. Why, it is even considered among humans as a commodity now. They sell runes in shops; magic spells are being sold in Item Shops in every town. Even now they know of our great magic, and they seek us out to obtain it. We cannot let it be stripped of us, Fell. It is ours.” His cracking voice seemingly pleaded with her, begged her to hide from everything. But she could not.

“I beg your pardon, Sir, but I cannot believe humans can be such bad creatures as you say. If every human sought us out, they surely would have found us out already, would they not?” Her deep lavender eyes burned as intensely as the weak candle tried.

The shadow, despite his hard age-worn personality, chuckled at her boldness. “You were never timid, Fell. Honestly, I cannot say what ALL humans are like. Yet as the saying goes, ‘it is far better to be safe than sorry.’ “ And with our finest soldier, Camargue, watching our village, we can continue to live in that safety.”

“Camargue is cruel and egotistical, Sir, if you do not mind my opinion.” Fell crossed her arms, as if a shield from the ruthless persona of the dreaded Camargue.

“His personality is somewhat disagreeable, but it does not conflict with his being a fine soldier. He fights splendidly, and is a good strategist in battle. Time and time again he has saved my life, and once I promised to repay him. This is yet another thing I quite regret but must bring to your attention. Fell, your aforesaid punishment is a request from Camargue. Fell, he wants you as a wife.”

Her life swam before her eyes in a swarm of fright. To be yet another toy of Camargue’s; this could not and would not be so! Fell shook her head rapidly and abandoned these terrible thoughts.

“Sir, I can never marry that monster. How can he love me when I perceive he hates me so? To live in his world would kill me.”

“I do not blame you, little child. But it is my promise to him, his reward for keeping this village safe. I had nothing to offer him except a wife, and he wanted you. He hides his feelings for you somehow, in a strange and twisted way.” The elder Furioso spoke the words with a gentle nature, for he knew her world as she knew it was being shattered.

“Please let me leave, Sir. Please, I beg of you, let me run and fend for myself.” Tears began falling from her beautiful great eyes, and the torment was evident in her face. The elder felt sorry for her, but he did not know what to do.

When he did not answer quickly, Fell began her pleading again. “Great elder Furioso, you must let me leave here. My life will end more quickly here living in a Hell, as the humans call it, with Camargue, than living out in the towns among the humans. Please, sir. Believe in me. I will not shed any secret to this place. I will not betray my species, but I cannot stay among them. Camargue is my worst enemy as of now. Please, sir.” And with a final sob, she knelt, with her head down, waiting for his answer.

“Daughter of the earth, I hope you actually have as much courage and strength as you show me now. If you will be safe, if you will not be afraid, and if you will not betray us, I will allow you to leave. But you must leave quickly and quietly, lest Camargue will find you. If and when he finds you, all will be lost. Hurry, young one..”

That is all of Chapter One. Makes no sense, ne? It will..

Go on to Chapter Two, if you dare! It gets a bit bloody in the next chapter..oh well..

Or..

Forget this @#$%!Take me back!