4000 years ago -spoilers-

-MAJOR SYMPHONIA SPOILERS-

(if you're interested, this story was inspired by Tales of Fandom vol.2, which has some interesting background info on Symphonia and a few other games.  Subbed videos can be found on YouTube ^_~ )

~~~

     It had been several days since the burning of the capital, and Martel was worried about her little brother.  In the midst of the chaos, Kratos had led the group to the King's summer home in the countryside that had been abandoned and partly destroyed during the raid.  Since the capital was north and the invaders came in from the south, Kratos believed that they would be relatively safe if they stayed in the area for the moment.  Unfortunately, the little boy was distraught and convinced beyond reason that the destruction his homeland's capital was all his fault.  Since they reached the small mansion, Mithos had laid in bed refusing to get up with the exception of occasionally going to the bathroom...

     "I'm sorry, Kratos," Martel apologized as she handed him his breakfast.  "He's always been so hard on himself when things get rough, but he'll be up and about in no time."

     I sure as hell hope so... the man thought as he popped a slice of toast in his mouth.  ...Well, he seems like a nice kid from what Martel has told me about him.  He thought about what she told him, how they had been exiled from the Elven Village after being accused and found guilty of an irrelevant crime neither of them had committed, how even their parents had shunned them.  He himself never held any sort of grudge against half-elves; what's the point?  It seemed pretty meaningless to him.

     The next day, Kratos had decided to train in the courtyard when he sensed movement.  Wary, he pointed his sword over in that direction and was surprised to see the slender blonde boy sheepishly standing beneath the shade of a giant oak.  Kratos sheathed his sword and relaxed as Mithos hesitantly approached him.

     "Good morning, Mithos.  Finally decided to get out of bed?"

     "I..."  Mithos looked unsure of himself while staring at the ground, then suddenly clenched his fists and looked Kratos in the eye and blurted, "I want you to train me!"

     Kratos' eyes widened slightly at the sudden outburst while the younger boy's face turned a bright shade of red.  However, Mithos was not about to give up and was determined to keep eye contact.

     The former soldier chuckled despite himself causing Mithos to go on the defensive.  "Wh-what?!" he cried, slightly humiliated.

     Kratos smiled at him.  "You have spunk, I'll give you that."

     "Yeah?  I could show you more where that came from!"

     "Alright.  Are you really that dedicated?"

     "Yes!"  Suddenly, the older man swung a kick aimed at Mithos' head.  By reflex, he ducked and evaded the attack.  "Wh-what was that for?"

     "Six laps," Kratos said in a commanding tone.  "Around the mansion grounds.  If you can do that without resting, I might consider taking you in as my student."

     Mithos' face brightened, but Kratos made a movement with his hand.  "Go on!  Hurry!"
"Yes...sir!"  Happy and content, Mithos started running as his new teacher watched on.

~~~

     Martel was quite joyful when she learned the Kratos took Mithos in as his apprentice.  She was worried about his safety, but she was always worried about his safety.  At least this way he'll learn to defend himself better, she thought.  Plus, it'll give him something to look forward to.  She was mildly upset that Kratos had thrown him in the river a couple days after their training regime began, but she figured it was for his own good.  It's not like he was a bad kid, but the military discipline Sir Kratos can give him will most likely help in the long run.  She thought back to the days when it was only the two of them traveling together and how hard it was since the two of them could only use magic...  They often had to run away, and she felt so sorry for her brother who believed he wasn't strong enough to protect her.  "He'll get there," she said to herself, "I know he can."  She finished cleaning their clothes and went off to feed the pet bird.

     "Do you think you would be able to parry an enemy in that position?!  Think of your form!"

     "Sir, yes, sir!"

     Kratos watched his budding student, bashing away at a suit of armor using a wooden sword.  Vague memories of his first time entering military school invaded his thoughts...  No, focus on the task at hand.  "Remember the technique I taught you!"

     "Right!"  Mithos backstepped and swung his sword.  "Demon Fang!"  The shockwave created hit the suit and made it clang loudly.

     "Good job!  Ok, take ten!"

     Mithos leaned on his knees for a moment to catch his breath and then jogged over to the ledge Kratos just sat on.  The man pointed to a plate of French bread cut in small slices topped with cream cheese and salami.  "Yay!" Mithos exclaimed as he sat down and happily ate one of the snacks Martel had made for them.  Kratos took a bite of one, too, and for a while they ate in silence.

     "M...Master Kratos?" Mithos said after finishing his last piece of bread, "why did you become a knight?"

     Kratos thought about how to answer and said, "My parents were nobles and believed it to be good training for their heir.  Why do you ask?"

     "Just...wondering."  He dangled his feet that didn't quite touch the ground from where he sat.  "Um...Master?"

     "Yes?"

     "You were a noble?"

     Kratos sighed.  "Yes.  I was."

     "Was it...nice...?"

     He took another moment to think.  "I suppose it was.  A bit boring, to be honest.  No, scratch that.  Extremely boring."

     Mithos smiled a little.  "I guess you were happy to go to school then."

    "Yes."

     Feeling awkward because Kratos mostly answered with one liners or curt replies, the boy jumped up and said, "You should teach me a new technique!"

     "Already?  But you need to master Demon Fang first."

     "But I've already done it a gazillion times!"

     Oh boy.  "Mithos, if you want to take this seriously, believe me, you will need to practice it many, many more times than that if you want to prove yourself to be a worthy combatant in battle.  Alright?"

     "Yes, sir!"

     At least he's extremely determined, unlike some troops I've had to train.  "All right, Mithos.  We're going to work more on your stances."

     "Yes, sir!" Mithos chirped as he followed Kratos back to the middle of the courtyard.
They had barely begun when Kratos stopped in the middle of putting Mithos in the right position.  "Um...Kratos...?"

     "Shh."  The man let go of Mithos' shoulder and hands and looked around.  Suddenly, an unfamiliar man's voice cried out.

     "THUNDER BLADE!"

     Kratos grabbed Mithos, and they rolled on the ground a good distance from where the spell hit.  Kratos immediately got off the ground and yelled, "Mithos!  Get out of here!"

     "No, I don't want--"

     "Do as I say!"

     Mithos ran off just to make Kratos think he went inside when in truth he hid behind the oak tree.  When he snuck a peek, he saw a man with long blue hair tied in a ponytail and wearing a blue cape approach Kratos, an angry look on his face.  Immediately, Mithos could tell he was a half-elf.  What is a half-elf doing here?  Is he going to try to kill Master...?

     "Kratos!  You bloody bastard!  So you were hiding out here all along!"

     "...Yuan."  Kratos unsheathed his sword.  "What do you want?"

     "The Sylvarant army is looking for stragglers from the military.  I had thought you died during the destruction of the capital, but apparently you're as stubborn as a damn cockroach."

     Mithos' eyes widened.  Sylvarant?  Wait, don't tell me this is the half-elf, the only half-elf given a high position in Sylvarant?

     Kratos looked at the half-elf who glared so much at him.  "...You don't have to consider me to be with the army anymore, seeing as how you've destroyed my country."

     "You annoying bastard!  I hate that attitude of yours!  I'm going to kill you and take the credit for it and history will know me as the most successful half-elf in the world!" As Yuan let out a disturbing laugh, Mithos suddenly noticed the weapon the strange man carried.  It was unlike anything he had ever seen!  It was like...a wierdly shaped double-edged claymore...

     Then a battle between two men unfolded right before Mithos' eyes.  The more it continued, the more his heart felt heavy, until Yuan was able to cut Kratos' cheek...

     "Stoooooooooop!"

     The soldier from Tethe'alla and the soldier from Sylvarant both stopped and stared at the little tween who began running towards them.  Kratos' eyes widened, and he yelled, "I thought I told you to get away!  Run!"

     "Who's this?  You're little half-elf slave?" Yuan spat with disgust.

     "I'm not a slave!" Mithos shouted as he stood in between the adults.  "Sylvarant is just as bad at treating half-elves as Tethe'alla!  Your promotion didn't change a thing!"

     Yuan twitched with indignation.  "What did you say, you little brat?!"

     "It's true!  I've been to both countries and they're both equally discriminate!"

     "Mithos..." Kratos muttered, "this isn't your fight..."

     "I'm not going to let you kill my teacher!  Who else is going to teach me to wield a sword?!"
The blue-haired man looked confused as Kratos gave an exasperated sigh.  Yuan was about to move around the kid to get to his target when he suddenly heard the most lovely musical voice he had ever heard in his life:

     "What's going on out there?"

     As the half-elf soldier from Sylvarant turned around, his eyes beheld the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.  Her long green hair and gentle eyes, her slightly tan skin and an outfit that fit her shape perfectly...  This woman - this angel - was flawless.  The epitome of beauty.

     As Yuan oogled at the newcomer to the scene, Martel merely smiled as she tilted her head.  "You never told me we were having guests!  I might have prepared more food!"

     As Mithos sighed and Kratos relaxed, Martel continued, "My, is he a friend of yours, Kratos?"  But before he could reply no, the half-elf had knelt to one knee.  Gently taking Martel's hand, he said suavely, "I am Yuan Kafei, a loyal but humble knight of Sylvarant.  Might I ask your name?"

     Confused, the absentminded woman replied, "Sir Yuan, my name is Martel Yggdrasill and that is my brother, Mithos.  I think you know Kratos..."

     But Yuan paid no heed to the latter part of what she said and muttered, "Martel, what a lovely name," as he kissed her hand...which caused Mithos to turn to stone on the inside.  After a second of shock, the boy recovered and shook lividly, then marched up to queer man, grabbed him from behind with the cape, and yanked him away from his sister.

     "Gack!"

     "Mithos!"

     Mithos merely pushed Yuan to the side as he hugged his sister around the waist.  "Big Siiiiiiiiiis!"

     BIG SIS?! Yuan yelled in his mind.

     "That guy tried to kill Kratos and almost killed me, too!"  As tears streamed out, Martel noticed the wound on Kratos' face.

     "Oh!  Kratos, you're hurt!  Come here."

     Although Kratos wanted to protest that it wasn't a big deal, he knew better than to argue with Martel and came over to her.  She put a hand on Kratos' cheek and healed it while petting her brother, which caused Yuan to become filled with jealousy.  Suddenly, his beloved turned to him with a frown.  "You said you're from Sylvarant?  You invaded our homeland and put my dear friend out of a job!  And you scared my brother!  How are you ever going to atone for that?"

     "Uh...I...  I didn't...ah..."

     "We can't let him go, he'll most likely contact backup and have us imprisoned," Kratos stated.

     "Oh, that's right," Martel agreed.  "I guess he'll have to stay with us for a while!"

     "What??"  Mithos looked up at his sister.  "But what is he tries to hurt us again?"

     "Oh, I'm sure that he wouldn't do such a thing.  Right, Sir Yuan?"

     He couldn't help but melt under those beautiful clear eyes.  "R-Right, Miss Martel.  I promise not to harm any of you or contact my troops..." </i> I don't want to see this embodiment of perfection marred by sadness on my account...</i>

     Kratos felt unsure about this temporary truce, but figured that Yuan was harmless given that he seemed to have fallen hard for Martel.  I bet she doesn't even realize... he thought, slightly amused.  I suppose Mithos will have to bear it for now.  He glanced at his apprentice who seemed thoroughly upset but was impressed the boy didn't make a further issue out of it. At least he tries to act with maturity.  I'm sure he'll be fine.

     "Well then, I suppose I'll have to make more food," Martel stated.  "Does anyone wish to assist me?"

     "I do!" Mithos chimed, following his sister as she began walking toward the house.

     "I...I can help as well!" Yuan spoke up, about to go after them.

     "Yuan..." Kratos said before realizing he said it out loud.

     "W-what?"  Yuan braced himself for a tirade of smart-ass remarks like the ones his fellow soldiers and superiors gave him grief for.  Kratos saw the look and turned away.

     "...Nothing."

     "...What?  Oh...  Okay then..."  Yuan hesitantly turned back to the house and walked toward it brusquely.

     You're pathetic... Kratos finished his thought.  He smiled to himself thinking about how much more insane everything was going to become before heading into the house himself.