Author Notes: I would like to welcome you all to a pilot chapter of a new story. This will be my second story based on Tales of Berseria. The game was so great that it gave me multiple ideas for different stories. Primarily, they are mini-series stories, but it doesn't change my enthusiasm to write Tales of Berseria stories, especially involving Veleanor which is not only my favorite pairing of the game, but one of my favorite video game pairings. They seemed to be meant for each other.

I used a good deal of the content that composes this chapter as part of the Tales of Femslash Week 2017. I was originally intending to write this chapter from the start, but the Tales of Femslash made it easier to accomplish since I was able to write rough drafts for future scenes as writing prompts. It made producing this chapter far easier and doable for me. I wanted to produce something in time for the anniversary for "Tales of Berseria" and here it is.

Believe it or not, it has been exactly a year since Tales of Berseria was released in Japan. We had about a five month gap before it was released in the West, but the gap was greatly decreased compared to the previous releases in recent years. They have stated in interviews numerous times, they want to close the gap further, and I hope they do. It'll make it easier to avoid accidentally reading spoilers from a random website.

When I'm on Youtube, I didn't even have to ask about Tales of Berseria, but my history makes it clear I like the Tales series, so videos related to them do occasionally show up on my 'Suggested' list. That can be a problem sometimes. Thankfully, I was able to avoid spoiler videos among many things, so I wasn't spoiled on the various plotlines and the ending.

Hopefully, one day there can be a release similar to Tales of Vesperia and there can be a near worldwide release within a month. Based on how well the Tales brand along with other JRPGs and/or Anime related video games are apparently doing in the West now, I wouldn't be surprised if someday that is possible or they do what they can to make it possible.

As usual, I hope you'll all enjoy reading this first chapter of the story. I hope you'll leave feedback because I'd greatly appreciate it.

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Sorrowful Peace

Chapter One: Price of Peace

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Nothing can be free

A price must always be paid

What did it cost you?

/

Chirp. Chirp. Chirp.

Birds could be seen in the trees or flying in the sky above without a care in the world. Their sounds were enough to fill the forest. It was a sound that anyone would wish to listen to. Assuming the said person had the mind to listen.

Clap. Clap. Clap.

The only other sound besides the birds and the wind was the sound of a horse carrying a lone rider along the path. She was wearing a dark cloak with a hood that covered her head. Her horse was moving slowly along the path even though she could easily have it gallop.

Normally, it would be unadvisable for a traveler to go off on their own let alone in the forest. However, recent events had caused a massive decline in the number of Daemons. The world was at a state of relative peace for the time being. Unfortunately, even the most optimistic person understood that this 'peace' wouldn't last. The 'Malevolence' within everyone would ensure that. However, the people would try to enjoy it while it lasted and rebuild what they could.

The sounds of birds chirping was soothing. Seeing a rabbit or squirrel run across the forest floor was a welcomed sight. However, she didn't try following them with her eyes. Her head was down, and she was hardly paying the path any mind.

Squeak. Squeak. Squeak.

As the rider continued her journey down the path, a familiar sound caused her ears to perk up. She turned her head, and she noticed a family of prickleboars grazing about. The rider turned her horse so she could get a better look at them. Even from afar, she could see it was a family of five. A father, a mother, and three little ones. She wasn't sure what they were doing, but if she had to guess, the parents were teaching their young how to survive.

The rider couldn't help but smile and tilt her head as she continued to observe them from afar. Even as she remained in the same spot, the prickleboar family had no reaction to her presence. They either didn't notice her, or they could sense she posed no threat. That alone kept the smile on her face alive.

After observing the prickleboar family for a few moments, the rider looked down and sighed. With her right hand she pulled two items from her pocket under the cloak. They were a hair comb broken in two and a mirror. The rider sighed again before putting them back in her pocket. She then turned her horse and continued toward her destination.

There was nothing to block her way as her horse continued to trot along. The rider could close her eyes and breathe in the fresh hair without any worries. This was what peace was. This is what peace felt like. This is also what it sounded like. It was a wonderful but fleeting sensation. Regardless, it was still one to cherish, especially since not everyone could enjoy it. The rider's destination was proof of that.

Before long, the rider finally reached her destination. The entrance gate to the once proud village of Aball. A village once filled with life that had been decimated on the night of the Advent. There were only two survivors that night. Technically there were five depending if you counted a pair of dogs and someone who had been reincarnated. Whether you did or not, it didn't matter. There was no one left to tell the tale. It caused the rider heartache thinking about it as she clenched her chest. She looked down at her hand and then shook her head. She took a deep breath as she looked upon Aball's front gate.

The rider got off her horse and removed her hood. She revealed herself to be none other than Eleanor Hume. She was a former exorcist of the Abbey who served under the Shepherd Artorius Collbrande. Due to circumstances, Eleanor was also the former servant, traveling companion, and eventual significant other to Velvet Crowe, the Lord of Calamity, and Eleanor had become a 'traitor' to the Abbey because of her new 'allegiance.' Circumstances changed for Eleanor again and again, especially after the final battle, but that was not why she was here.

Eleanor Hume was wearing a black cloak over her usual Exorcist uniform. Her hair was not tied up in her trademark pigtails. Instead, her long, red hair fell straight down in a disheveled and unkempt manner. Without tying it, her hair reached the middle of her back. Her hair lofted in the breeze as she stood between the gate and her horse.

"…" Eleanor stood there for a few moments as she stared at the gate in front of her. She knew that no one would open the gate for her, but she had difficulty taking the next step. She took another breath before finally moving forward.

Eleanor slowly approached the gate and opened it herself. Pulling it open required some effort, but once she nudged it open, it was easy after that. When Eleanor opened the gate, she took her horse by the reins as she led it to a familiar sight. It was a village filled with buildings and shops, but there were no people to occupy them.

The village was devoid of all sentient life except for her and the horse. Eleanor had seen this sight before, but she wasn't alone last time. She felt a shiver crawl up her spine as she gripped her horse's reins tightly while leading her through the desolated village.

"Come on girl." Eleanor softly said out loud to the horse.

As Eleanor and her horse made their way through the village, her eyes darted between the empty buildings and paths. She thought back to the glimpse or more accurately the 'dream illusion' she had seen. Through that, Eleanor briefly witnessed how this village was filled with life. People were happy, and they all knew each other. People like Niko always showed concern over the troubles that plagued their friends. Eleanor could see why Velvet loved Aball so much. It was small, but it was comfortable. A great place to raise a family. Just like her village was.

Despite what happened, the village was still in good shape. The buildings were intact and livable. There was hardly any physical evidence it had been infested with Daemons nearly four years ago. If people didn't know better, it'd be easy to assume the village folk either fled or moved due to bandit or Daemon activity and left their possessions behind in a rush. However, Eleanor knew the awful truth. She learned it from Velvet Crowe herself, and it correlated with other things she learned and witnessed throughout their journey.

The more Eleanor thought about Aball, the more she understood that it wasn't too different from what happened to her village long ago. The main difference was how Velvet and Eleanor ended up. Velvet was simply more 'unfortunate' than her. Eleanor closed her eyes and bit her lip at the thought. Her mind refocused on the 'current reality'. She continued to guide her horse though this lifeless village.

Even though Eleanor walked slowly, she inevitably arrived at her destination. At the end of the village stood a lonely home that belonged to the Crowe family. Now it stood here without anyone to lay claim or tend to it as seen by the state of the yard. The grass grew uncontrollably, the bushes had grown beyond proportion, and nature was set to start reclaiming the ground the building occupied.

Eleanor secured her horse by a tree before her eyes gazed upon the grave stones nearby. They belonged to Velvet's parents as well as her older sister, Celica, and Celica's unborn child. All their lives ended long before they should have. It was as if some Divine being had cursed this family with everlasting misfortune.

"Hmph …" Eleanor thought back to the cliff and what had once been there. She shook her head and muttered, "It's not right …" She briefly gritted her teeth and curled her fingers into a fist as she cursed, "Damn Innomiant …"

When Eleanor looked at the grave again, she felt a need to let the newfound anger simmer down. After taking a moment, she walked to the grave site and looked down at it for a few moments. She did not have any words to say other than closing her eyes and remaining still. Afterwards, she then walked a few feet away from it, and she settled on a spot.

Eleanor gathered a few nearby stones and place them together a few feet to the left of the grave. She piled them on top of each other to form a mini-pyramid. After she was done, she stepped away and looked down at it.

"…" Eleanor closed her eyes and remained silent once again. The only sound that could she heard was from her horse and the breeze of the wind that lightly moved her hair.

Eleanor opened her eyes and sheepish spoke, "Well … this is a little more awkward than I thought it'd be. I'm … I'm really not sure what to say."

There was no one there to respond to Eleanor's words, so she did her best to think of something else. "Well … I made this for you. I know you're not actually dead, but still I … I'm not even sure if I did the right thing by setting it up here."

Eleanor put her hands behind her back and glanced away from the 'grave' as she admitted, "I thought about doing this by the Empyrean Throne, but you know … That's were La … I mean Maotelus is. I thought it wouldn't be a good idea to erect a grave there. Instead, I figured it might be better to have it here by your family in your home village. I … I thought you'd like that."

"…" Eleanor remained silent for a few moments as her teeth lightly bit her lip. Her lips were slowly quivering, and she could feel water beginning to build up in her eyes again. Eleanor then bowed her head in front of the 'grave' and apologized, "I'm sorry! I'm really sorry!" Eleanor's voice was higher than it had been, and eyes remained tightly shut to prevent any tears from breaking through. "I know it's not much, but I'll get you something better someday! You deserve something better than a few rocks, but it's the best I can do right now! I'm sorry!"

Once again there was no response. She knew not to expect one, but she felt as if she should expect to hear something. Instead, all she could hear was the sound of leaves and the breeze. Eleanor stood up straight again as her eyes remained focused on the makeshift grave.

"Speaking of Maotelus, I …" Eleanor put her hands behind her back and she shifted her head to the right as she took her eyes off the grave again. "… I wanted to give you a report on that." Eleanor looked at the grave again. "The promise I made you … back on the ship … I'm doing my best … my best to keep the promise I made. Like I said, I made an oath to follow your orders until my dying day, but I know I'd keep this promise even without that Oath. To think when I first made that promise I …"

Eleanor interrupted herself as she placed her hand on her neck. She then bit her lip and shook her head as she bitterly remarked, "That was a long time ago. I'm not like that anymore." Eleanor stopped shaking her head and continued, "Things changed since then. I've done my best to keep the promise. It might not be what you had in mind, but that's how things worked out for better or worse. I will continue to do so."

"There's also … well another thing I wanted to do as well. Something … for you …" Eleanor felt uneasy as she spoke. "Ah huff …" Eleanor took a breath as she put her hand in her cloak where she pulled out a bottle of alcohol. She smile as she remarked in an amused tone, "You know, Rokurou told me about how you'd always refuse to have a drink because you were 19." Eleanor chuckled, "Heh. Honestly, that must've been the 'one time' you obeyed the law, but I guess that's you." Eleanor continued to chuckle. "Heh. Heh."

"Anyway …" Eleanor put her hand on the top of the bottle as she said to the grave, "I looked up some stuff on you Velvet and well … I know you're not 19 anymore." Eleanor uncapped the bottle and held it over the grave. "I also know that some cultures, including this village, consider you old enough at 20, so here's to that." Eleanor turned the bottle and the alcohol came pouring on top of the rocks.

Eleanor watched the liquid drenched the rocks before stopping and quietly saying to herself, "Happy Birthday Velvet."

The bottle had about half its contents left when Eleanor stopped pouring. She held it right side up and replugged it. "Hmph …" Eleanor couldn't help but smile at the makeshift grave that was now covered in alcohol as she remarked, "If you're gonna ask me how I got this, you can say this was a time I choose to break the law heh … heh … heh …"

Eleanor's chuckling bitterly died down as she continued to look down at the makeshift grave. "It still feels weird doing this. I …" Eleanor briefly stuttered as she said, "… I know you're not actually dead, but … but what I saw up there … it feels like you are. I'm not going to see you again am I?"

As soon as Eleanor said that, she could feel the breeze move across the back of her neck and move the hair hanging behind her. "No." Eleanor closed her eyes and curled her fingers into a fist as she said, "I already know the answer to that. I won't … I'll never see you again. That's how things ended up."

"I … I know it won't change anything now, but I …" Eleanor moved her head and opened her eyes to look towards the sky as she said out loud, "I wish there could've been another way. Was that really the only thing that could've been done? We couldn't do anything else? Part of me keeps saying maybe, but I keep playing back what happened that day again and again in my head. When I …" Eleanor hesitantly continued to speak, "… When I try to think of something else, I know things could've ended worse. There's a good chance none of us would be alive now. I couldn't say, but we'll never know now …"

Eleanor looked back down at the grave before moving her head down to looking at the ground before confessing, "I … I don't know if you can hear me or not Velvet, but if you can, I want you to know … I'm glad you kicked my butt too. If you hadn't done that, so many things wouldn't have happened. Chances are I'd probably be dead by now if I won." Eleanor looked further down at the ground as she sorrowfully said, "… So would Laphicet and everyone else. What happened that night is what allowed everything else to happen. I could've inadvertently been responsible of destroying the world if I defeated you that day. Knowing what I know now makes me glad I lost."

"Heh …" Eleanor bitterly chuckled as she lightly kicked at the ground below her as she commented, "For someone called the 'Lord of Calamity' it's amazing you ended up being the one who saved the world. If this whole world knew that, I think the irony would literally kill them, but I guess I don't need to tell you that. You said for yourself how they all believed in the Shepherd. They'd never know the whole truth. They'll only see you as a monster."

Eleanor turned her head to look at the Crowe household before remarking, "I guess if it's any consolation pretty much everyone besides us has no idea the 'Lord of Calamity's' real name was Velvet Crowe. The ones who do are either dead or on our side." Eleanor looked at the grave again before finishing, "Something tells me that's good enough for you."

Suddenly Eleanor could feel her eyes beginning to well up again. Eleanor lightly touched the corners of both her eyes with her right hand.

"Sniff … I …" Eleanor lightly bit her lip again. "Sniff … I wish … I wish you were still here Velvet. I know what you said to me on the Van Eltia, but I still didn't know what you planned to do. I wish you told us … told me … It might not have made a difference, but … I wish we could've tried thinking of another way. Maybe there really wasn't. I don't know … I … Ugh …" Eleanor put her hand on her forehead as she asked, "why did it have to turn out like this? Did you know it was going to end like that? You didn't want me to get hurt? Is that why?"

"…" Once again there was no response to her questions.

"There I go again …" Eleanor shook her head. "I'm just going in a circle. I won't get anywhere like this." Eleanor bowed her head in front of the grave and apologized, "I'm sorry for that."

When Eleanor raised her head she remarked, "Anyway, I guess if you can hear me, you're getting bored of hearing me talk for so long. We can talk more tomorrow. It's starting to get a little late anyway." Eleanor looked towards the setting sun. "I'm sure you wouldn't mind if I stayed in your old place. I'll try to tidy things up before I turn in. I'm sure you'd like someone cleaning it a little."

"…" Eleanor knew there'd be no answer as she turned around. She made sure her horse was secure before walking toward the house.

Creak! Creak! Creak!

Eleanor opened the door to the Crowe household which stood as the only remaining legacy left behind by the family. The lonely home was covered in dust. Eleanor could hear her footsteps echo in the empty home. Eleanor sighed at the sight of it. She had seen for herself through the Earthpulse memories how lively this home once was. Now it was a shadow of its former self with no one to care of it.

"Ah huff …" Eleanor sighed again and brushed her hand through her hair. She saw the sunlight was still burning bright outside. She kept her word and attempted to clean some of the house as best as she could. She figured she might as well since she would be using this place to stay the night. When she began cleaning, the large amount of dirt and dust caused Eleanor to cough on at least one occasion.

While she was cleaning, Eleanor walked into Velvet's old room. The former exorcist stared at Velvet's old bed before patting it down which caused dust to fly off. It was enough to cause a dust cloud.

Cough! Cough! Cough!

Eleanor covered her mouth as she began coughing heavily with one hand and waved the dust away with the other. When she was done coughing, she grabbed the sheets and pillows then shook them outside. She then placed the sheets and pillows on the dining room table while she took care to dust every part of Velvet's room. Eleanor smiled at her work. She may've lacked the tools to make it as good as new, but it was presentable.

Afterwards, Eleanor continued cleaning other parts of the house until her stomach began to grumble. She checked to see if the kitchen could still be used, and she saw there was some good firewood left in the fireplace. It had been there for a 'long' time, but it was still useable. She was able to make a good meal with the supplies she bought. Before she knew it, sun had long since set, and it was time to go to sleep.

"Yawn." Eleanor's mouth was wide open as she could feel sleep beckoning her. She made sure the fire and all the lights were out. Eleanor walked over to Velvet's old bed, removed her Exorcist uniform and put on the sleepwear she brought with her. She then slipped under the covers. She could feel herself welcome sleep as she slowly closed her eyes.

As soon as Eleanor closed her eyes, she could feel a breeze in her hair and face. The surface she was lying on was not the soft bed she went to sleep on. It felt hard, solid, and moist. Eleanor slowly opened her eyes to see a bright blue sky above her.

"Huh?" Eleanor's eyes widened. Her head sprang up and her eyes quickly scanned the area to see she was lying on a field covered in grass. She slowly stood up unsure what to make of the situation. She looked around to see there was nothing but meadow and more meadow.

"Hello!" Eleanor called out, "Is anyone there? Hello!"

As Eleanor looked for someone, her ears perked up when she heard something behind her. She wasn't sure at first, but it sounded like water crashing onto rocks. Eleanor turned around to see a cliff she did not see earlier. It was as if the landscape shifted. The meadow area ended with the rocks by the cliff.

Eleanor could hear the sound of water hitting the cliff. As she gazed at the newly appeared cliff from afar she could see someone standing at the edge. It was hard to see who it was, but Eleanor felt an unmistakable familiarity with the unknown person which caused her to step forward. Her body felt as if it was moving on her own to get closer.

As Eleanor approached the figure, her eyes widened. She was sure the person had long, black, unkempt hair that reached to her feet, and she wore a black cloak.

"It … It can't be …" Eleanor momentarily paused in disbelief before picking up the pace. "Velvet!" Eleanor raised her voice as she ran to the cliff. "Velvet!"

"…" There was no response or movement from the girl staring out to the ocean.

Eleanor slowed down and stopped when she reached the rocks. She said, "Velvet!" That's you right? Right? You're here right?"

The girl kept her back to Eleanor, but there was no mistaking it. That was Velvet's appearance. No doubt about it. When the girl spoke, it was the voice that Eleanor remembered. "I see that you're doing well Eleanor. I'm glad to see that."

Eleanor softly said, "Velvet …"

Velvet kept staring forward and her back remained facing toward Eleanor. Velvet shook her head as she said, "You're trying to talk to me, but I can't hear you. Your voice can't reach me."

"What?" Eleanor's eyes widened again as she asked in disbelief, "What're you talking about?"

"You're probably confused right now aren't you?" Velvet looked down the ocean below her and told Eleanor, "I … I'm sorry. That's all I can say."

"But Vel … AH!' Eleanor tried to step closer to Velvet only for her head to hit into some kind of wall. "What the?" Eleanor put her hand forward to feel a surface. "A wall? A barrier? How?"

"I'm glad you're okay Eleanor." Velvet's voice sounded sincere as she spoke "I'm also glad that you're doing your best to take care of Phi. That means a lot to me. Promises are important after all. I of all people know that."

"Velvet …" Eleanor said again as she leaned on the invisible barrier.

"…" Velvet slightly turned her head, but it wasn't enough for Eleanor to see Velvet's face. "… As weird as it may sound. I appreciate the grave. It was … It was a nice gesture. It's human … Thank you." Eleanor could hear the soft touch of genuine gratefulness in Velvet's voice. A voice that had occurred more often toward the end of the journey. This was Velvet Crowe. No doubt about it.

"Velvet!" Eleanor on the barrier with both and an attempted to push on it before her head suddenly felt a strange sense of dizziness. Her head began spinning as she repeated, "Vel … Velvet …"

Velvet sighed and replied in a resigned tone, "I guess we're out of time. No surprise there. Take care of yourself out there Eleanor. Don't get yourself killed."

Eleanor could feel her legs give out as he feel to her knees. She weakly called out as she continued leaning on the barrier, "Vel … vet …" Eleanor's eyes closed and the dream faded.

"Good night Eleanor." Those were the last words Eleanor could hear as the darkness took over.

/

Author Notes: This is another mini-series related to Veleanor that I planned on posting as well. The idea of it came about at the same time I was working on the first chapter for "Spoken and Unspoken Words", but I was able to post a chapter for that first while the ideas of this story remained in the planning stage. However, that changed due to the Tales of Femslash Week happening a few weeks after the posting of "Spoken and Unspoken Words" first chapter.

While I wanted to publish a new chapter of "Spoken and Unspoken Words" for the anniversary, my schedule didn't make that possible. It was easier for me to produce this chapter due to it being more written and outlined than the other. While the next chapter for "Spoken and Unspoken Words" hasn't been produced yet, I do have something else that you might like as well. I commissioned Manu-chann to produce a few pages for the manga adaptation of the story. Be sure to check them out on her Devianart page.

I mentioned before that this chapter was composed of writing prompts I used in Tales of Femslash Week 2017. The two prompt themes were 'Dreams' and 'Tragedy'. Assuming you either participated in that or read them when I posted them, you'll see much of what I wrote then is similar to what you see now. However, there are noticeable differences. There are extensions along with things being changed around. I also made sure to fix any initial errors that appeared in the original writing prompts as well.

In regards to Eleanor's appearance, I was partly inspired by the final scenes of Samurai Jack Season Five. As it turns out, in Feudal-era Japan, having your hair unraveled is meant to symbolize bereavement. I figured having Eleanor lose her trademark ponytails would be a perfect indication of her mourning.

While we all know what happens to Eleanor in the epilogue, you can consider this to be an interquel between the events of the final battle and when we see Eleanor in the epilogue, especially due to Eleanor being in a relationship with Velvet prior to the final battle. Not to mention, we do get a close up of Eleanor crying after what Velvet does. I wanted to utilize that for this story.

My plan is to update both this and "Spoken and Unspoken Words" in the future. I hope you all enjoyed reading this story. I would greatly appreciate feedback. See you next time.