From Ally to Antagonist: Tragic Luc In Suikoden
- Amethyst
- 8 July, 2025
- Amethyst
- 26 June, 2025
Zayden steps into the carriage and takes a seat on the other side. He can now see Jowlani, Serena and Laura and waves goodbye to them. As the carriage drives off, he feels tears welling up in his eyes. However he doesn’t want to show them in front of the guard. The guard sits straight across him and looks sternly into his eyes. Because of the helmet, his face covered.
When Zayden can no longer see his partner, aunt and classmate, he decides to look outside in the opposite direction. The guard then opens his mouth to speak: “Sir Zayden, do not let your emotions get the best of you. However, feel free to display them in front of me. I do not mind it at all. Besides, you should be able to display them in front of your hometown friend.”
The voice from the guard is less deep than uttered outside the carriage. Zayden now starts wondering what this guard means.
“I am deeply sorry, but I have no recollection that we have met before. Can you explain the meaning of your sentences?”
The guard looks outside, back in and then stares long at Zayden.
“You can drop the overly formal tone, because no one will hear us in here. I can not remove the helmet, just in case the driver looks in. I have always guarded you, since we were both young children. You should know who I am.”
Zayden thinks and then the lightbulb in his mind goes on. “No way! Marques? Is that you? I’m so enlightened to hear your voice. It’s been ages since we have seen each other. You left so soon after they… well..”
Marques nods towards Zayden to confirm it is him. He takes of his left glove and shows a scar.
“This is from when you accidentally sliced my hand, remember? You were so clumsy when it came to holding anything sharp. You never want to hurt anyone, to this day. That is also your flaw. I’m appointed as your personal guard during your stay in Altgrön. I want to inform you that it will not be an easy trip. Your parents have taken me back in as guard, right after they settled their debt with my family. It was a long case, much waiting involved. I’m happy my family’s farm has been reinstated to supply the leaders of the nation with food again. Be on your guard as well. Your mother seems real distant from everyone, even your father. She seems to trust no one at the moment because of the political tension. Her suspicion is that someone is trying to sabotage her plans. She fears that others in the political playing field try to take away her power.”
Zayden looks serious for a second towards Marques. Then he shakes his head like he recognises this from the past.
“It’s good that they finally followed through on reinstating you and your family. You never deserved this kind of punishment for nothing. And, about mother… that’s the way she has always been. I’m thrilled to hear that father is at least still alive. He can be very naïve at times, especially when mother pulls out all the stops. She’s just as easy to terminate a random servant from their position as.. terminating her own family. Thank you for staying by my side during my stay in Altgrön. There may come a time when I call in a favour upon you. When that time comes, please listen to my request.”
Marques pops a small smile from under his helmet from the positive words of Zayden.
“Thank you sir, that means a lot coming from you. I will not listen to your request in any way. We’ve been friends since that private boarding school wanted to kick us out for being annoying in general. We still are troublemakers in that sense. No matter what goes down during your trip or afterwards, I’ll stick by your side to aid you.”
In the moments of the conversation, the carriage has approached the border at good speed. The border guards of Netralia halt the carriage.
“Good morning sirs! Mind if we inspect the carriage for any illegal contraband or people?”
The driver of the carriage signals that it’s alright to inspect. The guards walk around the, inspect under it and then open the carriage.
“Good morning sir Blankermann. We have been informed of your passing. Not to worry, we’ll be most respectful. We will check some assets and then be off.”
The guards inspect Zayden’s bag, the furniture of the carriage and ask Marques to remove the helmet. Zayden nods towards Marques that it is okay to do so.
Long, luscious pink hair emanates from under the helmet, as Marques smiles.
Zayden starts smiling, because it looks better than the dark blue and green mix he had in the past.
“Gentlemen, thank you for the respectful agreement. Everything is in order for us. We wish safe travels for all of you. If you return here, we hope to see you under better circumstances between our countries.”
The gate is hoisted up and open for the carriage to travel through. Once the gate is lifted, Zayden and Marques spot another individual rushing for the gate. Almost at the gate, the person is stopped by the guards still posted. The person is dressed in all dark blue clothes. They can’t see the person’s face. They only witness them waving ferociously at the guards. They can hear the shouting from even inside the carriage.
“YO, this is not the way YOU treat ME. I’m the MOST INFLUENTIAL person of ALL TIME in Altgrön. Who the hell do YOU think YOU are, you scumbags! If you don’t let ME past you, I’ll use lightning magic on those dumb bodies of yours. That way you’ll always think of me, on the toilet when the thunder hits. That’s when shit really hits the ceiling fan! So let me through, you pieces of garbage!”
Marques looks at Zayden, and Zayden looks back at Marques.
“Should we?” asks Marques. “You know I would love to know more, as this is quite amusing. Though for obvious reasons, we can’t and we shouldn’t. Let’s hope that one day we know who this actually is. For now, we don’t need to care if they are influential, or an imposter.”
The guards drag away the person to the side, and push them to the ground. The carriage drives by slowly through the gate. Zayden still gets no glimpse of the face as they go by.
The journey to Altgrön continues, as the capital only lies away two hours from the border with Netralia. The capital changed over two years ago. Even Zayden has never received an explanation from his parents of the reasoning behind this. Possibly, Zayden’s mother already had plans for war. After having been away for a year, he hopes to get answers on a lot of questions.
Zayden check if Marques is not napping yet. He’s dozing off a bit, but then remembers his duty and shakes himself fully awake.
“Say Marques, could I ventilate my thoughts with you? I don’t need answers, but just a pair of listening ears. What was the motivation to send me specifically to Netralia for my studies? Why was the capital changed a year before I left? Why is mother so distant to father and me? Am I, or are we, able to prevent war from happening? I have this purple stone with magical powers. I found them in the castle ruins of Faucon-Bas. I knew they would search us, so I hid it in.. a secret place no one will look at.”
Marques is startled by this information.
“Blimey Zayden. Definitely good questions. Let’s get those answers when we arrive. Hopefully we can stop any form of war from happening. It only hurts people and never ends well for the country that starts it. You mentioned that purple stone. It will come in handy for sure. I do know where there’s a blacksmith with magic knowledge. He might be able to embed it in your sword. I trust that you are able to wield power in the right way. You’ve always chosen the right path, even against your mother’s will. I’ll sharpen my sword for any fight that’s coming our way. I’ve heard rumours during my day in Netralia. That you have a good new friend named Jowlani. I’ll safeguard your secret. There’s reasons I dye my hair pink now. I’m your ally, through thick and thin!”
The sun shines brightly across the blue sky. No clouds in sight, and the land lies dry. Summer also has had a negative effect on the crops on this side of the border.
It’s good that Marques’ family has their farm back and holds a good position. That way if the harvest yield is sour, they’re guaranteed of money. That has not been the case for the eastern part of the country. They have never grown as fast economically as the west, because of their even more traditional culture and characteristics.
Zayden’s mother was born and raised in the east. She wants to ensure that it makes a comeback. It should catch up with the west, and compete with similar regions of other bordering countries. Her political reign so far has not made that difference. Too quickly, she lost sight of this major election promise. Voters are turning away to more socially progressive parties, polling shows. Elections are coming up in around nine months’ time. A war could be the means for staying in power longer. Perhaps lasting long enough to fulfil a promise. Maybe let the west suffer just a bit more, to equalise both sides of the land.
Many questions, little answers. Who knows if Zayden and Marques will learn more when they arrive in the new capital of Altgrön.
How will mother and father react to their son returning home?
Which information and insights will help shape Zayden’s future?