A Future Rewritten Introduction
By Tierl
Disclaimer- the characters of Breath of Fire 4 and the settings and story described in the game do not belong to me. My sole claim is to Yahla, the idea and way her existence changes the story, and several other characters noticeably not included in the game. All rights to Breath of Fire 4 belong to Capcom Entertainment, INC. Rights also go to anyone else who helped create the game. My only intent in writing this piece of fiction is for the enjoyment of my friends and myself. No money is or has been made on this fic. A note: anyone wishing to reproduce this fic on any page must request my permission and agree not to use the fic for profit or to claim it as their own work. This disclaimer will not be repeated on other chapters, however, it applies to all of them and any connected work. The first part of this fic uses quotes directly from the game up until where Yahla comes into play. These quotes are not mine, and are property of Capcom. Please Read and Review, but limit your comments to those that are helpful. Flames will not be tolerated.
The night was dark, and if the stars were there they did not see fit to show
their faces to the earth. What little light there was came from the moon,
which cast its rays on the polished stone of a four-tiered, pyramidal tomb
that from appearances had been left abandoned for centuries. The setting
added to that semblance, for the forest had been discontent to maintain its
man-made boundaries, and greenery had sprouted up in between stone cracks
and along the edge of walls.
Up on the fourth tier, the devastation of years was not as noticeable. The stones were cracked, a tile chipped here and there. Otherwise, the plateau at the top of the tomb was as untouched as the day the tomb had been made. Made with a purpose. Made to guard and protect its occupant until the time came that he was to arise.
The time had come. A blast of light that made even the moon seem dim, and an entrance appeared where yet another jade tile had been but a moment before.
The moon dimmed, and the stars came out.
The long expected was finally happening.
Elsewhere, the moon shone on another structure of ancient days; a building
that could be called either a tomb or a temple, and would serve equally well
as either. There, nothing stirred and growth that did not as much edge the
stones there, but cover them, made it clear that no one had set foot there
for far, far longer than a mere score of years.
It was a modest affair, when compared to some, and small enough that the trees hid it completely from the air. Its presence had been forgotten among the minds of mortals, and even those of the Endless who knew of its existence probably could not find it without a difficult search.
It was hidden, secret. And its would call into play an event that would alter the strands of fate, and rewrite the future.
-Authors note-
This is the introduction to what will be a very long, very AU fic after a certain point. Yes, it's very short right now, but this is just to get the story established on the net. Future updates will be much longer, guaranteed. In fact, this ought to be the shortest thing I ever put up.
If you dislike Fou-Lu, I suggest you get out now. This fic will be all about him. In my story, Fou-Lu is straight *winks and grins at Vincent Seyuri* and there will be definite nudity, sexual remarks, language, blood, and other mature situations. At very least this fic will be rated R. Please use your discretion. Rating may increase, depending.
If anyone knows the exact dates or facts involved in Breath of Fire 4 (like how old the empire is, how long Fou-Lu slept, how long he ruled as first emperor before going into hibernation, etc.) please tell me. Also, any details on the history of the Empire or the other nations would be appreciated. Also, if you see any definite errors in my writing, let me know. ^_^ This won't be updated for a while, as I'm going on a two-week vacation very soon. I might get one more chapter up, but I doubt it. Feel free to email me with suggestions, comments, and criticisms. I promise to take them into account, provided they are reasonable. Enthusiastic Flamers will be met with large quantities of dry ice. Also, anyone asking me to dumb-down my vocabulary will be ignored. Get a dictionary or email me with a question about it.
Oh, and in MY world, Fou-Lu is golden-eyed and left handed, and I will stand firm on that. And I may take liberties with his outfit, as it is portrayed differently throughout the game. For instance, in the cover art and official Capcom artwork, we see that his outfit (not counting the red undershirt) is fairly seamless, so to speak, with both top and bottom appearing to be a sort of one-piece thing. However, in the game, we see him several times wearing only pants, which means the cover art must be incorrect, as is the anime introduction. So, in MY version dear Fou-Lu wears baggy pants and an elaborate long-sleeved shirt with a somewhat frilled V neckline and a red turtleneck undershirt. However, I won't change the belt, gloves, or shoes, as they are extremely cool looking. All Hail the God-Emperor, Lord of Fashionable Accessories.
Now, about Fou-Lu's speech patterns. He does NOT speak Old English, for those of you who know little about such things. Old English resembles German, and the modern English-speaker wouldn't even be able to understand it. The closest to Fou-Lu's manner of speech is Middle English, although he uses definitely a more modern version. Still, I have made a list of several Middle English word (though I have altered their spelling to accommodate readers) at the end of this fic, so if a word Fou-Lu thinks or says gives you trouble, please access the glossary. I have used only words I think readers will understand, as most Middle English words and phrases would simply cause unnecessary confusion. If you are interested in actual genuine Middle English, please access other sources, this is not necessarily correct.
-Tierl-