#freinag

DUNGEON MESHI MAJOR ARCANA

SET ONE / SET TWO / SET THREE / SET FOUR

I was talking with a friend recently about how Thistle continues to wear his silly little jester outfits all the way into the present day even as the mad mage, and while I agree to an extent that he just likes the aesthetic I also think it might be something he feels like he has to do, because otherwise…

Thistle’s very dubious acquirement as a child was specifically so Freinag could have the aesthetics of an elven court member without the danger his advisors worried an adult would present. From his very first moments in the court, it was clear that making him a simple jester was because they feared what would happen if he was allowed to gain too much power (and independence…) And the thing is, I think Thistle knows that.

In the end, Delgal ends up asking Thistle to learn magic and become the court mage anyways after his father’s death. There’s no way there weren’t a lot of opinions about that from other people, especially his advisors, seeing as that was exactly what was feared could turn an amusing commodity into a dangerous threat. The fact that he was so secretive, too, about his investigations into the ruins I think might hint that he was aware of the optics of such a stunt.

But Thistle isn’t stupid. From his reaction here to the way the villagers look at him I’m sure he knows— whether from overhearing, being told directly, or simply picking up on the vibe— that they think he’s dangerous and scary simply for being an elf.

When Thistle was brought into the Melini court, he didn't know a word of Common/Tallmen language. That's why he doesn't speak in these scenes and could only play his flute, with these little "fretting" signs over his head. Playing was literally the only thing he could do and express himself during that time. That's why he goes so hard on it, in every subsequent panel.

这篇文章的原文是中文，我使用了翻译器。文章的后半部分是中文原文本，如果翻译阅读时有不准确之处，你可以试着对比原文本重新翻译。

This is an IF scenario with altered timelines: the main element is that Thistle is several decades older than in the original timeline!

Thistle’s parents had once lived in an elven settlement, but for various reasons, they left their homeland. On the way to the Eastern Continent, Thistle was born. At that time, although the Eastern Continent had no dominant powers, the difficult transportation and lack of communication made most locals extremely xenophobic. They regarded Thistle’s family with a mixture of disdain and fear, avoiding the mysterious magic they possessed. Thistle’s parents lived in extreme poverty—they had no land and could only survive as itinerant merchants. At one point, they almost sold Thistle, but in the end, they could not betray their own conscience and raised him.

Thistle had no friends. Even the still-innocent local children grew faster than him, and the adults despised him, often warning their own children not to interact with his family. Most of the time, Thistle was left alone, only occasionally helping his parents with work.

He could not feel deep affection from his parents, nor could he sense anything but discrimination and suspicion from those around him. His nature was inherently innocent and resolute, and this environment shaped him to be independent, quiet, and even somewhat sharp-edged—especially when he was certain he had done nothing to compromise his conscience or dignity. Fortunately, these experiences never broke his own self-respect.

By the time he was around 40 or 50, he had already started working on his own, though he still returned home most of the time. Despite being young, he had already displayed magical talent. Although he remained poor, he was far better off than when he had been entirely dependent on his parents—no longer having to “rely on his parents to live” gave him a greater sense of security.

He lived independently like this for 30 to 40 years and gradually regained some reputation in the region. Although those who had always distrusted him would never reconcile, many of his employers gradually came to believe that he was a sincere, moral, and exemplary mage.

As a result, when he was over eighty—still young for an elf, but since there were no other long-lived species around, Thistle felt quite aged—one of Freinag’s ministers, after a series of searches and interviews, approached him with a generous salary and invited him to work at the royal court.

Freinag treated him very well—his nature was warm-hearted and sincere. He arranged for Thistle to attend him daily, invited him to various banquets and speeches, and even made an exception for the church on Thistle’s one-year anniversary to allow him to participate in a blessing ceremony.

Thistle experienced many “exciting” days in the court. He had been poor, and even when he had served some wealthy or noble people before, most of them had not treated him to this extent. Even though Thistle was normally composed, he could not remain calm at so many banquets, nor when conversing jovially with people who influenced the fate of the nation—he often appeared frozen in 'composure'.

The queen respected him greatly. Her love with Freinag was intimate, which was partly due to her own nature being so aligned with the king. She was also kind toward Thistle, but in a more delicate way. The king and queen did not yet have children, and in their eyes, Thistle’s appearance clearly marked him as a young man in need of care.

At first, Thistle intended to maintain a professional distance, but gradually, he was softened and began to enjoy court life—because of Freinag and the queen. Even so, he felt uneasy and feared the day he might be dismissed.

This situation continued until Delgal was born. Thistle also took on the work of royal medical care. After the queen became pregnant, he remained attending her. However, the situation gradually worsened. Freinag, in fact, worried every day, yet always tried to create a relaxed atmosphere.

By some luck, the queen’s childbirth went relatively smoothly. Thanks to the efforts of Thistle and the other spellcasters and midwives, the queen’s pain was greatly alleviated, and the prince was born safely.

On the day the queen could leave her bed, Freinag proudly and happily named his son Delgal. Thistle was invited to celebrate, and from that day on, Thistle’s bond with Merini became inseparable. Watching Delgal, he was no longer merely observing the king and queen’s noble, happy, and intimate life from afar; he was now part of the “happiness” he had once admired from a distance. Thistle truly felt immense happiness, and this love forever lingered in his heart, giving rise to a desire that would never wane—he wanted this happiness to last forever.

But this “complete happiness” did not last long.

Soon, the queen’s health deteriorated—an aftermath of childbirth, compounded by the poor hygiene of the era—and even magic could not save her. She blamed no one and lived bravely for two more years. In her final days, she could no longer endure the pain and could no longer smile. Thistle stayed by her side, his tears falling as her condition worsened. He could not reverse her illness and could only slightly ease her suffering. He even delved into ancient knowledge for this purpose. Freinag became somewhat irritable during this time but could not vent his feelings; he grew melancholic, and banquets became much fewer.

The queen ultimately could not hold on, and her funeral was very solemn. Many knelt by her coffin and wept, grateful for her or mourning her presence in the court. Thistle was among the mourners, nearly broken, but ultimately not. He spent the latter half of that day with Delgal—the little Delgal did not understand anything, crying and fussing from lack of maternal care, unaware of the future watching him. Thistle finally held him tightly until Delgal’s tears stopped in confusion

—and Thistle’s ultimate answer was:

no matter what, I will make you happy forever.

Supplement:

Life at court was not entirely smooth for Thistle. Many nobles used him as a pawn to attack Freinag, and as he gradually integrated into court life, many nobles even besieged him. Thistle was often frustrated, but there was nothing he could do—he had already been accustomed to this since childhood.

To Delgal, Thistle was like a mother and a teacher. He had been very clingy when Delgal was young, and as Delgal grew into adolescence, he went through a rebellious phase like other youths. Yet Delgal’s nature did not support grand, audacious acts—he would always reconcile with Thistle within a few days. Their relationship was very close.

After the queen’s death, Freinag did not remarry. He became emaciated, his once plump face now thin like a lizard’s. Thistle worried for him. To Thistle, he was like a father he truly loved. He tried to prescribe medicine for him, but Freinag refused.

At the same time, Thistle continued researching ancient magic, trying to prevent tragedies. In this, he had actually achieved great success, though unknown to others.

He also maintained contact with his parents, who now rarely interfered in his life. Though they still cared for him, they felt increasingly distant. Thistle sent money home regularly.

这是一个包含了时间捏造的if：

主要元素在于，thistle比原来的时间线大了几十岁!

希斯尔的父母曾经居住在精灵的聚落，他们因为各种原因背井离乡，在前往东方大陆的路上他们生下了希斯尔。彼时的东方大陆虽然没有什么主导势力，但因为交通困难，缺乏交流，大部分居民还是十分排外。他们用一种鄙夷又恐惧的目光看待他们一家，对他们所拥有的神秘魔法避之不及。希斯尔的父母为此生活得十分贫困，他们没有土地，只能以行商的身份活动，一度无法生活下去，差点把希斯尔卖掉，但最终他们无法欺骗自己的良心。

thistle没有什么朋友，一些还天真的幼儿长得比他快更多，而大人们则十分嫌恶（并且往往警告自己的孩子不准和他们家来往）。thistle的大部分时间只能自己一个人独处，偶尔跟着父母干活。

thistle无法从父母身上感到浓烈的爱，在周围人身上也只能察觉到歧视和怀疑。他的天性本身天真又坚定，这样的环境使得他表现得独立、沉静，甚至有些尖锐（他确信自己没有做损害良心和尊严的事的时候就是这样）。但幸运的是这些没用折损他自己的尊严。

他大概40、50岁的时候就已经开始自己一个人在外工作（但大部分时间还是要回家）。尽管还很年轻，但他已经展现出了魔法天赋，尽管依旧贫苦，但是比起一开始依赖父母身边要好了不少（不再“一定要依靠父母生活”，让他更有安全感了）

他一直这样独自生活了30、40年，总算在那片地方恢复了一些声望，尽管那些原本就不信任他的人依旧不会与他和解，但许多雇佣过他的人都开始渐渐相信他其实是个真诚、道德且模范的魔法师。

正式因此，在他八十多岁的时候——对于精灵来说还很年轻，但是因为周围没有什么长生种，thistle就觉得自己已经很大年纪了）——弗里纳格（freinag）的大臣在经过了一系列的寻找和采访后，找上了他，并给他开了一份不错的薪水，希望他能来宫廷工作。

freinag对他很好——他本性就十分热诚。他安排thistle每天侍奉自己左右，邀请他参加各种各样的宴会、宣讲，他入职一周年时还破例向教堂申请，要让thistle参加祝福活动。

thistle在宫廷里度过了很多“惊险”的日子。他从前就是个穷人，哪怕从前服侍过一些富人或贵族，他们大部分也不会对自己到这种地步。哪怕thistle向来镇静，但还是无法镇静地参与那么多的宴会，并且和那些影响国家命运的大人物们谈笑欢声（他经常是一副镇静到呆住的状态）。

皇后十分尊敬他。她和弗里纳格的爱情十分亲密，之所以亲密，倒也是因为她的内核和丈夫是那样接近。她同样与thistle相亲，但更加细腻。国王皇后还没有孩子，在他们看来，thistle的长相显然还是个需要关照的年轻人。

thistle一开始打算维持工作的距离，但不论如何，他实际上都在慢慢地被融化，变得喜欢上宫廷里的生活（因为弗里格纳和皇后）。但这样还是让他感到不安，害怕着“解雇”的那一天

这样的状态一直持续到delgal出生后。

thistle同时负责了皇家医疗的工作。皇后怀孕之后他也一直侍奉着皇后。但是状况却是每况愈下。弗里纳格实际上也每天都在焦心，但却总是努力营造放松的氛围。

稍微幸运一些的是，皇后的生产比较顺利。thistle的术士和助产士的努力极大减轻了皇后的痛苦，并让王子顺利出生了。

在皇后能下床的那个日子，弗里格纳骄傲而幸福地为自己的儿子取名为delgal。thistle被邀请一起庆祝这个时候，从那一天起，thistle彻底和merini建立了无法割裂的联系。看着delgal，他不再是远远看着皇后和国王高贵、幸福而亲昵，他此刻就在自己曾经远远注目的“幸福”的画中。thistle确切地感觉到，自己真是太幸福了，这样的爱意永远弥留在了他的心里，让他萌生了再也不会萎靡褪色的“欲念”——他想要这样的幸福能永远留住。

但是这样的“彻头彻尾的幸福”并没有维持那么久。

皇后在不久后病情恶化（这是生育后果的伴生，那个时代的卫生条件很差劲），就连魔法也无法挽救。她没有埋怨任何人，坚强地活了两年，最后的日子里已经无法忍耐痛苦，不能再露出笑容。thistle跟随在她的身边，他的泪水伴随着病情加重落下，他无法扭转病情，只能稍微为她减轻痛苦。他为此甚至涉猎了古代的知识。弗里纳格那段时间变得有些暴躁，但他始终无法发泄自己的心绪，他变得有些郁郁寡欢，宴会变得少了很多。

皇后最后没能坚持下去，她的葬礼相当阴郁，许多人跪在她的棺边痛哭，因为许多人都有恩于她，亦或者思恋她在宫廷中的身影。thistle同样是哀悼的人的一员，他几乎要被击溃，但最终没有，他那天的后半天都与delgal待在一起——小小的delgal还不明白任何事，整天没有得到母亲的关怀的他又哭又闹，还不明白未来在看着他。thistle最终紧紧抱住他，一直到delgal疑惑地停止哭泣——thistle最终的最终的回答是：不论如何，我都要让你永远幸福下去

一部分补充：

thistle在宫廷里的生活并不完全顺利。很多贵族借他来攻击弗里纳格，随着他慢慢融入宫廷，许多贵族反而对他展开围攻。thistle总是感到很烦躁，但他也没有办法（他在童年时就已经很习惯了）。

对于delgal来说，thistle是母亲一样、老师一样的存在。他年轻时非常黏他，随着长大后就像青年们那样迎来叛逆期，但不论如何，delgal本来的性子并不支持他做什么惊天动地的事——他总是没过几天，就回家和thistle和好。他们关系非常好。

弗里纳格在妻子死后没有再娶。他完全消瘦了下来，从前发福的脸现在瘦得像蜥蜴。thistle很担忧他。对于thistle来说他比起自己的家人还更要像自己爱的父亲。他试着给他开药，但弗里纳格拒绝了他。

thistle同时一直在研究古代魔法，试图杜绝悲剧。他在这一方面实际上已经卓有成就，但不为人知。