#pars2017

"We're in the middle of a war," Étoile protested.

"Yes, it has not really escaped our notice," Gieve calmly replied while the rest of the group paid her no mind and merely continued their preparations.

"So this isn't really the best time to be attending some traditional festival," the knight said in frustration.

"On the contrary," Gieve pointed out with a grin and a flourish of his musical instrument, "This may the only opportunity we have for merriment for a long time, and we must seize it!"

After this, the Lusitanian knihgt pretty much gave up trying to convince the group that the spring festival was a bad idea. The prince and his army had marched into a town about to celebrate the occasion and since they were all still a long way from the battlefield, Arslan decided that everyone deserved a bit of a break and some light entertainment before they plunged into battle.

The town was small and their version of the celebration was relatively subdued but it was festive enough for everyone. There were bright decorations all over the town square, mostly in red to symbolize good luck and prosperity. All kinds of local delicacies were on display and being sold, sweet rice cakes and dumplings with various meat and vegetable stuffing, pies of numerous flavors, round fruits, different varieties of tea, and some alcohol.

The members of Arslan's party found different ways to celebrate the coming of Spring. Daryun and Narsus dragged Jaswant into a tavern to get some good drinks. Farangis indulged herself by buying some alcohol as well. Gieve, as usual, found an audience of admiring ladies and sang songs from his vast repertoire of folk ballads and other festive tunes to match the season.

Elam and Alfreed excitedly made the most of the local market and bought many supplies of delicious pies and fruits. They haggled with the merchants and argued with each other over what to buy. But despite the outward animosity they were clearly enjoying themselves. For a few hours, everyone was pleasantly distracted from the grim tasks they had ahead of them.

Soon, despite herself, Étoile was enjoying the small celebration. She had always been too serious and had not allowed herself to participate in such things. But though she had initially dismissed the whole affair as typical Parsian frivolity, she could not help but be drawn into the cheerful mood of the entire group.

Arslan himself introduced her to certain traditions, explaining the symbolism of the decorations and inviting her to try the different local specialties. She found that she favored a certain red bean cake as well as a sticky rice cake that was fried in egg. The prince was glad to see her in such a rare good mood and he was also happy to be distracted from the heavy burden of his duties, if only for a short while.

Arslan also tried to hide his amusement when the knight tried to consume some strong alcohol. The girl's face turned red and she was forced to give the rest of her drink to Farangis, who finished it with ease.

"Your face matches the decorations," Alfreed teased, "I think you will bring us good luck."

Étoile would have scowled at her but she found herself amused despite everything.

Everything was changing so rapidly that the Lusitanian was grateful for a chance to catch her breath and to re-assess all that had happened in such a short time. For one thing, she was growing to understand Prince Arslan a bit more and the more she learned, the more she admired him.

He was not the clueless young noble she had met years ago, but a brave and virtuous young man who was aware of his responsibilities and who cared for his people. Some part of her was proud of what he had become and she also felt honored to be standing by his side at this crucial moment in history.

The day passed quickly, more quickly than anyone had anticipated. While they all felt a slight regret that their short holiday was over so soon, they were still grateful to have had a moment of respite before the great struggle.

There was a small fireworks display to conclude the celebration and for a moment the sky was illuminated with more than just the stars. They all marveled at the different colors and lights and everyone applauded at the show. For a moment, all their troubles were forgotten.

"There is so much beauty and joy in this world," Arslan thought as he watched the fireworks and then looked at the smiling faces of all the friends gathered around him.

Here are the prompts for PARS:

Day 1 | Flowers Day 2 | Spring Feelings Day 3 | Baby Animals Day 4 | Fresh Start Day 5 | Growing (in any sense) Day 6 | Spring Festival Day 7 | Free Day

PARS 2017

Day 1: Flowers

PARS 2017  Day 5 | Growing (in any sense)

Title: So, about those horns....

Characters: Arslan and Estelle

Rating: T for body horror (?)

Late entry~ art by colleyuriko. OK, so this one turned into a bit more body horror than I intended, haha. 

In the OVA, this is the sentence with which Estelle finds out that this “brat” is in fact prince Arslan. Look at his smile as he says it~. They weren’t able to do this in the 2015 anime, since Etoile says it at a time when Arslan could not reply to reveal himself.

"He always does this," Elam explained with a proud smile, "It's almost like he can never resist the sight of a small, helpless animal. He needs to help every lost thing that crosses his path."

Étoile nodded. They talked as they watched Arslan carefully nurse a small bird with a broken wing that he had found on the road. The young monarch was leading an army to war but he still managed to notice an injured animal, even in the midst of the chaos. A less observant person would have missed it completely and most likely the tiny bird would have been trampled by the horses of the riders.

Arslan could never resist a stray, whether animal or human. Where help was needed, he was determined to provide it. Such strange behavior. But the Lusitanian knight was beginning to understand this about the unusual prince of Pars.

And she saw that everyone in Arslan's group knew him well enough. Clearly, this was not the first time he had taken care of a lost and frightened creature. So they supported him in his cause. Daryun and Narsus had long stopped trying to convince him not to take care of these animals, knowing that this was an integral part of his character. Elam and Alfreed usually argued about how to best go about taking care of the small animals Arslan found. Farangis would give her silent approval. Gieve would simply smile and sing about it wistfully.

For her part, Étoile was growing accustomed to this. She had not been with Arslan's group for very long and though she shared a passing acquaintance with him over the years it was only now that she was finally starting to understand him. And she could see that he had a profound sympathy for the lost and the despairing, a sympathy that could only come from some painful experience.

But the prince constantly put on a brave face, even in the midst of adversity. And yet Étoile knew that he had his struggles. He was only better at masking his pain and sorrow. And he tried his best to be the face of inspiration and encouragement so that those around him would not be plunged into complete despair.

And the more she thought about it, the more Étoile was able to draw comparisons between the lost animals (birds, horses, kittens, puppies, camels) that Arslan seemed to collect and care for and the allies he had gathered around him (albeit in human form.) Étoile knew that they were all from vastly different backgrounds, united only by their faith in this peculiar prince and his generous ways.

Even she herself was a stray, in her own way, and the longer the knight stayed with this company, the more difficult the prospect of returning to her old life in Lusitania seemed to become. So much had happened and some things could never be restored. And yet, somehow, she didn't mind the changes as much as she used to.

She had not entertained the notion before, and truly, the old her would never have imagined that she would end up traveling with the prince of Pars. But she found that her current circumstances were quite favorable and it would be ungrateful and almost dishonorable for her to refuse all the generosity and kindness shown to her by people who were supposed to be her enemies. The world was more complicated than she had anticipated. But she was beginning to appreciate the surprises that came her way.

"This particular species can survive even the harshest of winters," Arslan explained, pointing at the small, white buds that appeared at the tips of the slender branches.

If one did not look closely enough, one could almost miss them. But they were there, two bright spots in an almost barren land. Étoile watched the Parsian prince as he admired the small flowers that flourished even in seemingly impossible conditions.

The prince had decided to take an early morning stroll and had invited the Lusitanian soldier to join him. Étoile was curious about what the unusual young man wanted to look at but she always enjoyed his company and did not refuse. There was a certain peace that came only during the first hours of dawn and though there was still a slight chill in the air, the frost that had covered the land had already begun to thaw. Arslan had knelt down beside two large rocks where his keen eyes had noticed tiny flowers blooming between the cracks.

"Whenever these flowers appear, it's a sure sign that spring is finally here," he added cheerfully, "And whenever spring begins, I always feel that things are on the mend."

Étoile nodded in agreement. It did seem like a perfect moment to bid farewell to the cold and unforgiving season that had brought them all such challenges. But though they had not emerged unscathed, they had overcome the worst of it, and the arrival of spring seemed to be the reward for their resilience in the face of adversity.

"It's been a long and difficult winter," the prince said with a sigh, and his expression turned grave.

He seemed to be remembering all the hardships they recently endured, the battles they had had to fight, the people they had lost, and the heavy price one had to pay for every victory. He was not one to take things for granted. A shadow seemed to fall over his face as these painful memories occurred to him. But the moment passed.

"But I'm glad we all made it through somehow," Arslan said with a smile, and Étoile was surprised by how relieved she was to see him regain his happy demeanor. She was beginning to realize that she did not much like to see him sad. She dared not admit what this truly meant but she could not deny it.

She had once compared the prince to a flower, beautiful and delicate, fragile and weak. But she realized that this had been an unfair assessment, both of him and of flowers in general. She had come to learn that there were those, like these white, Parsian blossoms, that could withstand the greatest of hardships.

She had begun to appreciate the substance behind his beauty. There was nothing superficial about him. He had strength and honor and wisdom, such rare traits in a world full of men vying for power. She had seen so many of them. But none were like him. And for this she was all the more glad she had been given the opportunity to get to know him. And she felt proud to be standing by his side on such a lovely spring morning.

"I read somewhere that the flower that blooms in adversity is the rarest and most beautiful of all," Arslan said pensively.

As he said this, he glanced once more with undisguised admiration at the small, white flowers he had found. He did not notice that his companion's gaze was focused on him and had their eyes met at that very moment, much would have been revealed.

PARS2017 - day 3: baby animals

Title: 

Characters: Daryun & Shabrang

Rating: G

Art by colleyuriko. Spring means BABY ANIMALS. Actually my headcanon is that Daryun was the one to tame Shabrang and therefore he earned the right to ride this “warrior’s horse”, which was why Arslan was so reluctant to mount Shabrang after the battle of Atropatene, because he felt like he hadn’t earned that right (yet).

In this picture it’s more like I wanted a baby Shabrang, so have a teen!Daryun (complete with OVA!Daryun’s hair) and his new best friend. (cue Bibi Blockberg theme song)

Bonus (because *certain people* wanted baby!Daryun, too):

PARS2017 - Day 1: Flowers

Title: Ryoute Ippai

Character: Arslan (OVA version)

Rating: G

Art by colleyuriko. ‘Ryoute Ippai’ by Shoko Suzuki is my favourite Ending theme from the 90′s Arslan Senki OVA. It’s just so hopeful and the sound reminds me of Anastasia’s Ending ‘At the Beginning’.

I realise the most popular translation for this song gives it the title “Hands together until”, however on Shoko Suzuki’s album ‘RADIO GENIC’, the official English title is ‘A Flower With No Name’.

I also don’t really agree with the best known translation, so here is how I interpret the song:

夜をこえて　闇をぬけて / Beyond the night, across the darkness

目覚めたあなたに / to you, who has awakened

名前のない甘い花を / sweet flowers with no name

両手いっぱい　届けよう / with my hands full of them I shall arrive