Suikoden VII

Chapter One: Part Four

Chapter One: Part Four

It was time.

Astraea had come to terms with it and had the appearance of calm. She was dressed in a long-sleeved red and blue dress with leather straps, with black leggings and black boots. She was a princess and she needed to look presentable no matter where she went. The king made sure to send a carriage ahead of the party that was filled entirely with her possessions.

I will be gone for a long time, so I will need my possession, she rationalized.

It was difficult to say goodbye to her siblings, especially when Sigrun locked her in a tight hug and wouldn't let her go. It almost made Astraea want to cry but she kept her composure.

We'll see each other again. I know we will.

Denzel wasn't much better; giving her a hug so big that he lifted her off the ground. "Stay safe, Little Sister," he told her. "And if anyone messes with you let me know. I'll cross the sea and come straight to Crystal Valley to set them straight!"

Astraea laughed as he set her down. "I will, Denzel. I promise."

Her other siblings were neutral about her departure. Philomena gave her a stiff hug, and Vahan shook her hand. But neither Brendan nor Kion really reacted. They didn't hug her or even touch her. Brendan simply nodded and said, "Take care" and Kion was harsher. "Don't bring shame to the family." Which did hurt because Astraea had never done anything to embarrass her family. But she was no longer surprised by how her siblings treated her. She knew for her own mental health that there was no point in trying to get answers why. She had already tried, and none of them were forthcoming.

King Franz was there to see her depart, along with everyone else. Astraea did not expect much from her father, and so when he spoke and treated her no differently than he did his bastards or the noble children, she wasn't offended. Rather...she felt like a weight was being released from her chest. A thought whispered across her mind that made her feel guilty, but...at the same time, she knew that it was true.

I'm free of him...for now.

The prospective students would be traveling in a large armored carriage to Niebieska Brama, and at the king's insistence all goodbyes were done in the capital. There were seven boys and three girls. Ritta and Barrett had no one to say goodbye to, but neither seemed bothered. Astraea, Sigrun, and Denzel made sure to spend time with them as the other students said goodbyes to their family members. Astraea was amused to see Lady Sarka psyching Milo up; the older woman almost jumping where she stood as she spoke excitedly to her younger brother. "You've got this, Milo! Return home a better and smarter warrior than me!"

"I will!" Milo laughed.

The other nobles spoke to their children using a lot of the same phrases about making their family proud and coming back in glory. One particular noble, Reilly Krieger, spoke in a very pompous tone with his son Darko. Reilly was a man who looked to be in his early forties, with long graying black hair tied in numerous braids that ran down his cloaked back. He was a stark black goatee and piercing green eyes, and Astraea saw by the way he squared his shoulders that he was trying to make himself look larger than he was. But by the way the sword on his belt swooshed back and forth with the motions of his body, Astraea knew that he didn't wield the sword often.

He must be a warrior, as all Zelantans are. But he is a noble first.

Darko Krieger himself was a boy of seventeen years just as pompous as his father; he wore black armor that was too large for his body's frame and black clothing, and a hood that covered most of his black hair. Astraea found herself not liking him very much, which made her feel guilty as she wanted to get along with all the students who would be going to the Academy. She wanted to be friends with all of them.