The Kingdom of Etro

A/N: For all of you Flight fans, here's another story for you. As this is an alternate universe and I want to experiment with some things, expect some character OOCness.

Disclaimer: The characters and the worlds I write in do not belong to me. The stories that I write are intended for entertainment purposes. I do not make any money from them.

Summary: The kingdoms of Cocoon and Gran Pulse have been at war for centuries. Now they want peace. When an envoy is sent to Cocoon to finalize the peace treaty, the true instigator of the war is revealed, leaving both sides in turmoil. Only by joining forces will Cocoon and Gran Pulse prevail. But can they put aside over a hundred years of hatred and bloodshed to do that?

*** ~ Chapter 1: Welcome to Cocoon ~ ***

"Are we there yet?"

"Fang."

"What?"

"You asked that a minute ago."

"Yeah? Well I'm askin' again."

A sigh.

"You're such a child sometimes."

The kingdoms of Cocoon and Gran Pulse had been at war for centuries. It was a bloody, horrific war, both sides reeling with causalities but neither a definite winner. The original reason for the war was long lost at this point, yet the bad blood between the two kingdoms still remained.

"Is she always like this?" the male of the group asked.

"Only when she's bored," replied the other female of the group.

The people of Cocoon resided on the highest mountain in Fantasia Finality, their cities and towns built just below the clouds, overlooking the rest of the land. While the ancient texts said that both peoples emerged from the same race, one could hardly believe that given just how different the two peoples were now. With the lack of predators in the mountains, the people of Cocoon soon turned to science and technology, eventually basing their entire culture upon it. The ancient gods were abandoned and forgotten, science now taking their place.

"How can ya not be bored right now? There's nothin' ta do!" Fang waved her arms around her as if to emphasize her point.

"Fang!"

"What?"

"Behave."

Gran Pulse was different from that of Cocoon. Keeping true to their ancestors, the people of Gran Pulse remained in the forests and plains below, thriving on nothing but their own survival skills and the almost forgotten skill of magic. It was said the old gods bestowed the gift of magic upon the people, the ability to wield the elements of nature itself, and allowed them to call upon the of beasts myth and legend in their most dire of moments.

And so, the two kingdoms fought for supremacy over the land, both claiming the entirety to be theirs and the other the intruder. Technology and science was pitted against magic, both kingdoms slaughtering each other year after year without respite. But now the peoples of both nations wanted peace and the time for change was now.

Huffing in annoyance, Fang tucked a lone strand of raven hair behind her ear. She trailed behind the rest of the group, that being led by Oerba Dia Vanille, her little sister, with the warrior twins Oerba Kamau Gadot and Oerba Kamau Lebreau following after the redhead. Behind Fang herself was four other hunters from Oerba, the quartet only travelling with them so far as the neutral ground between Gran Pulse and Cocoon.

"Ya know I can hear ya, right?" Fang looked at Gadot and Lebreau unimpressed. Gadot merely shrugged in response. Fang rolled her eyes.

Just why were they heading towards that Maker forsaken place? Peace. Or so was the desire. Apparently everyone was fed up with the whole war thing and it was time to call a truce. And the lucky sap volunteered to meet with the other nation to sort all that good stuff out was none other than herself, Oerba Yun Fang. It sucked to be the last surviving warrior from the strongest clan sometimes.

This soon to be peace treaty was supposed to be a good thing, Fang knew. Ending the war which lasted hundreds of years, was a big deal. But having grown up under the strict shelter of the other clans, watching many of her friends and respected peers die because of it, Fang wasn't so convinced peace would come easy. Or at all. The truth of it, Fang had only heard of the horrific things the vipers from Cocoon did to her people. Being the last surviving member of the oldest and strongest of Gran Pulse' clans, Fang was never allowed to venture into the battlefield herself. The elders feared Cocoon would take Fang from them too, destroying Gran Pulse's only hope against the vipers.

So instead, Fang was trained by the best warriors within the walls of Oerba, from time to time, joining them as they hunted for food outside of the village. In spite of the limitations imposed upon her, Fang grew up to be the best hunter out of them all, her senses and abilities superior to almost everyone. And that was part of the reason she was on this stupid mission of peace in the first place.

As tradition stated, any warrior who reached the age of twenty-one became their own person, allowed to do whatever they wanted. However, this didn't mean they completely abandoned their clans the moment they did. It was expected that once a warrior reached the age, they would continue to ensure the village's safety and respect the lands left to them by the ancients. But in Fang's case, it was much more than that. Turning twenty-one last week also came with the new responsibility of leading all the clans.

The Yun clan was the oldest out of all the clans, their history marked with great battles and bloodshed. Because of the conflicts and challenges they faced, and the near impossible odds they always overcame, they were naturally respected and feared by the other clans. More often than not, a Yun was chosen as the leader of all by the seeress. But while the days of the seeress were long gone now, those ingrained traditions still remained. And as part of her first duty as the new leader of the Pulsian people, Fang was volunteered to make peace with Gran Pulse's mortal enemy. If Cocoon was even thinking of betraying them, the people of Gran Pulse needed their strongest warrior to put the vipers in their place.

"Oh don't mind her," Vanille said, still at the head of the group. The smaller Oerban turned around to face the rest of them, continuing to walk backwards so as not to lose pace. "She may not act like it, but Fang is really just nervous about meeting Cocoonians for the first time."

"I am not!" Fang exclaimed, indignation in her voice. "I'm the strongest hunter there is! Why would some viper scare me!"

The redhead merely giggled, turning back around as Lebreau and Gadot shot curious looks at Fang. Fang grumbled. If Vanille hadn't her sister, she would have strangled the girl by now.

"Welcome honoured guests. I am Captain Snow Villiers of Cocoon's Imperial Army."

Snow Villiers was a huge man in Fang's opinion, his size nearly matching that of Gadot's. That was quite the feat as Oerba Kamau Gadot was the largest warrior there was in all of Gran Pulse's history. They hadn't even stepped three feet out of the Forest of the Ancients when they caught sight of their escorts from Cocoon. Unlike Gran Pulse natives, whose skin was naturally darker in colour (Vanille being the only exception, though even the redhead was darker than this Villiers fellow), and their hair being closer to the colours of the earth, Snow's hair was gold like the sun, his complexion as pale as the clouds. And his eyes, they were a sky blue colour like Fang had never seen before.

Snow was covered in navy blue and white plates of armor, a flimsy piece of protection in Fang's mind given just how thin those plates were. Not even a knuckle deep. But that probably had something to do with the seemingly glowing second layer armor floating over top the first, made of pure energy itself. Fang had heard about those things in her studies. Energy barriers, Cocoon's technology at its finest. The ability to create protective barriers without the use of magic. They were powered by something called Mana Drivers, if Fang remembered correctly.

Flanking the Cocoon Captain on his left was another man, armored similarly to Snow. But this man's hair was as blue as the waters of the Sulyya Springs, his complexion just as pale as Cocoon's Captain. Fang decided to call him Blue. It just seemed like fitting nickname considering it was the colour of his hair. On the other side of Snow was an even shorter Cocoon native, his spikey blonde hair being a shade darker than that of Snow's. The man (or rather boy) had goggle things strapped to his head just above his eyes. Fang found it really hard to believe that this third soldier was actually a man. He was extremely boyish in appearance, not to mention he was the shortest of the lot. So his nickname ended up being Boyo. Because he was exactly that in Fang's mind, a boy.

Behind Snow, Blue, and Boyo, six other soldiers made up the welcoming party. None of them distinguishable from each for they all wore closed faced helmets. All of the Cocoonians, except for Snow, wielded strange weapons, ones unlike that which was commonly found in Oerba. Guns, or were they rifles? Fang could never remember which one was which. Nevertheless, it was a type of weapon similar to a sling, yet it could shoot stones faster and more powerful than any of Gran Pulse's warriors could do with a sling. Fang eyed the other lesser soldiers behind the trio cautiously.

"Nice to meet you Captain Snow Villiers of Cocoon's Imperial Army," Vanille said with a brilliant smile. She would have held up her arm in the typical Gran Pulse greeting, but didn't. Who knows how these Cocoonian's would have interpreted that greeting.

Fang smiled slightly, silently thanking the gods for her little sister. While they were not related by blood, they could have very well been. They were inseparable from a very young age, Vanille having taken a liking to Fang the moment she was brought into Oerba as an orphan many years ago. Unlike Fang, who was stronger and a natural born hunter, Vanille was gifted with the art of gab. Not only could the redhead convince you of almost anything, she also had a natural way with animals, talking to them as she would a person. Strangely enough, the animals seemed to understand Vanille, as if she was one of their own and reacted accordingly.

Fang rotated her shoulders a bit. Personally, she would have preferred to let her spear do the talking in a situation like this. Sadly, not every situation turned out well when using force. And so, it was decided that Vanille would be joining this little expedition at Fang's side, handling the negotiations side of things on the lancer's behalf. Fang had never been so relieved in her entire life.

"I'm guessing you're here to show us the way?"

"That is correct," Snow said with a short nod. "We're here to escort you back to the Imperial Palace-"

CLICK.

Fang's hand was instantly on her lance.

Snow's eyes widened, the Captain of Cocoon's Imperial Army turning his gaze to the one behind him.

"Change of plans, Captain," one of the helmeted soldiers said. His weapon was pointed at his captain's neck. At the nod of his head, two of the other helmeted soldiers removed the Mana Driver attached to the blonde's back, Snow's energy shields flickering once before dieing completely.

Emerald eyes narrowed.

"You won't be escorting these savages anywhere."

Blue and Boyo were quickly relieved of their weapons, their Mana Drivers also taken in a similar fashion to Snow's. The trio was then shoved to the side where two helmeted soldiers pointed their rifles at them threatening death should retaliation be sought. The rest of the rifles were pointed at Fang, Vanille, Lebreau and Gadot.

Fang gritted her teeth, her muscles already tensing in anticipation of the battle to come. She knew this was too good to be true. She knew it! In her peripherals, Fang could see the twins reaching for their weapons. Vanille's hand slowly reached behind her back for her own weapon strapped to the back of her waist. None of the Cocoon soldiers noticed this, all of them too distracted by the angered and very vocal Cocoon Captain they used to work for.

"What the hell are you doing Corporal!" Snow demanded, his face twisted in anger and disbelief. His hands were balled at his sides, the blonde looking rather livid. He reminded Fang of an aggravated Behemoth King before it rose to its hind legs.

"Primarch Far-"

"Primarch Farron will never know about this," the Corporal said smugly. "By the time we all get back, data feeds will announce that the savages never showed up to the meeting point."

Fang's lips curled back into a snarl. If those vipers thought she was going down that easily, that they would be doing down that easily, they had another thing coming.

"If you think I'll go back quietly and act as if nothing ever happened, you better think again."

The Corporal shook his head. "But you won't be going back with us, Captain. You, along with your second in commands, will be killed in a valiant effort to protect the rest of us from one of those savage beasts which charged out of the forest while we waited."

Fang's grip on her lance tightened. Even with his helmet on, she knew the ex-Corporal was smiling smugly in victory when he looked at them.

"This is treason!" Snow said in rage. He took one step closer to his former Corporal only to receive a rifle butt in the face which sent him sprawling to the ground in a daze.

"No," the Corporal said. "No it isn't." The same rifle used to take Snow down was then pointed at Vanille. "We're not betraying Cocoon. We're saving it. Cocoon will never bend to the likes of them."

BANG!

Fang watched in something akin to slow motion as the ex-Corporal's helmeted head jerked to the side, crimson erupting in the air next to him. His body crumpled to the ground a second later, motionless. The moment the Corporal's finger twitched on the rifle's trigger, Fang was already moving, instantly placing herself between Vanille and him. But rather than feeling the bite of pain from a bullet wound, she instead watched as the offending soldier's head literally exploded within the confines of his helmet.

The rest of the Cocoon soldiers stood frozen in there spots, staring at the Corporal's dead corpse. Snow, Blue and Boyo were also gawking, every single one of them having a hard time processing what they obviously were seeing. Then a new voice spoke up, snapping everyone out of their shock.

"Why don't you let Primarch Farron decide what's true and what's not."

Movement to the side caught Fang's attention, the Pulsian's gaze darting towards it at the same time Snow's head whipped to the side. In what would later be remembered as a comical scene, the Captain's eyes widened to the point of threatening to burst out of his skull as he exclaimed in shock.

"P-P-Primarch Farron!"

A/N: There's something about this chapter I'm still not happy with, but rather than prolong the wait, I've decide to post it up anyways.

Kamau is African meaning "Quiet Warrior". As neither Lebreau nor Gadot was given last names in the game, I gave them this one.

As we're never told what 'world' our heroes live in, I made one up based on the name of the game.

The armor for Cocoon's Imperial Army is inspired by the tech armor from the Mass Effect games. If you're not sure what that is, you can find more information here: (h t t p) : / / masseffect . wikia . (c o m) / wiki / Tech _ Armor