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The world could look so vastly different depending on where one admired it from.
Venturing into the depths of the dense, toxin-filled jungle would provide an onlooker's eyes with a feast of rich blues and greens, the work of the plethora of tall spores and fungi sprouting throughout the environment, whose vibrant visuals hid their poisonous nature resulting from the soil that birthed them. Standing at a distance looking at it on the horizon, one would be splendidly treated with a view of the bright blue sky against the boundary of jungle treetops, maybe even the glow of a rising or falling sun seeming to almost shimmer against the landscape. Soaring high above it all, the densely packed foliage would appear to resemble a luscious green, protective blanket over the earth beneath it ... alongside the eerie image of many decayed, hulking skulls that had since become additional homes for these life forms. Oftentimes the land could appear rather murky, a sign of its decay over the past one thousand years. But among that ominous appearance lay a remarkable beauty that, with hope and discipline, could possibly find its way back.
One girl was currently experiencing the view through this third airborne way ... although she had more than her fair share being granted all three.
As the wind rushed through her thick, radiant red hair, ruffling the skirt region of her clothing, her gloved hands kept a tight, stable grip on the rails of the glider she had now so handily mastered. A beaming grin would have been visible had it not been for the protective mask concealing her youthful face. A small fox-squirrel held on equally tightly to her, very far removed from his natural conditions but trusting his human companion to keep him safe.
The girl swooped down as she saw her destination, her heart gleefully racing at the momentum of her descent.
Her eyes were laid upon a valley. From a distance, it looked fairly barren, with miles of flattened land interspersed with an array of stalagmites spread throughout a rocky terrain. But if a passerby drew closer, they would be able to make out a series of rustic yet functional windmills and spinning blades, carefully and skillfully constructed, in addition to a lake of vibrant grass trimmed neatly into large square patches. Humans of this valley could be seen riding on Horseclaws, sparsely spaced out as a majority of them stuck to their humble abodes.
It was no lavish home. Particularly as of late, it was in rougher condition than usual. The forest was all but entirely burned to the ground, many homes lay in ruin, several people were recovering from injury, and construction was needed daily to restore the mills and structures that had been torn down. All of this, due to a series of terrible events that had taken place several weeks prior ...
The gliding girl shook her head to chase away the foul memories this brought back. She instead looked forward to returning back to the place and people she called home, willing and able to see the beauty that still remained even in the most unlikely places ... a trait sadly not many others possessed.
Indeed, already she could see two good friends of hers awaiting her return as the land came closer to her proximity. One was Lord Yupa, the legendary swordsmaster who had come to practically be a member of her family. Though his age and ragged appearance made him look like nothing special, she had learned from both stories and experience that his skills with weapons were practically unparalleled. While she always wanted to settle conflict non-violently, she knew that sometimes such measures were unfortunately necessary, one of many reasons she found his presence so comforting.
The girl finally completed her descent as her glider gently touched down on dirt. The wind blew dust up around it as those observing her kept at a distance to keep the particles out of their eyes.
Lord Yupa was the first to step forward afterwards, as the beautiful auburn-haired girl stepped off with her fox-squirrel companion on her shoulder.
"I take it your travels were safe, Nausicaä? Or as safe as they could be?" Yupa asked pleasantly, as the two came in for a familiar hug.
"Yes! And productive!" the girl, Nausicaä, was happy to report, as she always was when returning from such a trek. "We may now have enough materials to get the well pumping twice as quickly as before. And I even found some seeds that look like they could still be grown! They'll fit right into the garden!" She was referring to the once-secret garden she had been growing in the deepest chambers of her home, where she had discovered that non-toxic soil could sprout clean, healthy plants, in contrast to the dangerous ones that had been growing in the jungle's polluted soil ... soil that she hoped would one day be purified as well.
Ever since the apocalyptic war known as the Seven Days of Fire, the land had been greatly troubled by the threat of the Sea of Decay, primarily the toxic jungle that the resulting pollution had created. Countless homes had been uprooted, options for land and settlement had gotten fewer and fewer, and resources had become substantially less plentiful, all culminating to make survival a challenge to all but the most fortunate of souls.
As bad as that was, however, Nausicaä would gladly choose to live that way over how others chose to respond to the threat ... and how far she had discovered some were willing to go.
Weeks ago, her Valley had been invaded by the military-driven kingdom of Tolmekia, who held her home captive as part of their plans to burn the entire jungle down. To make matters worse, they had done so after similarly attacking the village of Pejite, who had retaliated by unleashing a rampage of giant Ohms upon their own homes to wipe out the invaders ... and then attempted to do the same to the ones occupying the Valley, cruelly willing to sacrifice the lives of Nausicaä's own people as well. Gratefully, in a stunning act that had been foretold through prophecy, Nausicaä had managed to stop the resulting rampage and send both it and the Tolmekians away, while the Pejites stayed behind to help rebuild what had been destroyed in the Tolmekian siege.
It upset Nausicaä to her very core to discover just how much cruelty and evil these other kingdoms were capable of, how much they let their hatred consume them, how much they were willing to destroy. All while she merely did her very best to maintain peace, so that the world may have its chance to be cleansed and restored to its rightful state.
"I still can't believe you managed to grow so much in there already!"
Nausicaä turned to this third voice that spoke, smiling to see the second of these two friends: Asbel, a handsome, brown-haired boy around her own age, the good-hearted prince of Pejite, and an instrumental ally in helping her save her Valley from destruction.
The two friends similarly embraced, as Teto went to perch on Yupa's shoulder. Nausicaä responded, "With any luck, what I've done in there will be what becomes of the entire jungle."
That was all the princess hoped for, really. Not the honor of fulfilling some ancient prophecy, nor the admiration of her peers; just for her home, and the homes of all living things across the earth, to prosper tranquilly and happily. Still, she couldn't help but beam at the praise from her trusted friend.
"It won't come any time soon," Asbel replied. "The jungle's huge; there's a lot that needs to be undone."
"I know," Nausicaä said with a tinge of sadness. "But we've been able to survive alongside it for hundreds of years; we can hold out for more. We just need to be patient and let it happen."
Asbel nodded, the girl's resolute faith and wisdom rubbing off onto him, as it already had in the short time he'd known her. Indeed, Asbel couldn't help but frequently admire the Valley princess. Rarely in his life had he ever met someone as headstrong, brave, yet also compassionate and kind, always trying to find a proper way out of a situation most would be quick to take on more aggressively. Asbel was ashamed to say that he himself had been one of those individuals lacking such insight, but his relatively short time in her presence had already awakened him to the possibilities that came from acting on one's love rather than one's anger.
He felt, in hindsight, that such a thing was what his dear sister would have wanted for him.
"Now then," Yupa interjected. "Shall we see what Nausicaä here has scavenged for us?" he asked, a hand on the girl's shoulder.
Just like that, childlike excitement returned to Nausicaä's face. She immediately darted back to her glider, eager to share her findings with the two, as Asbel smirked and Yupa chuckled at her obvious enthusiasm. Teto leapt off of Yupa to follow her, seemingly curious to rummage through it all himself.
Nausicaä's momentum, however, was interrupted by a new series of voices, slowly creeping their way into her range of hearing. Their words were impossible to decipher from this distance, but the tones she could make out from each voice sounded increasingly confrontational. She saw the heads of Asbel, Yupa, and Teto turn as well, their faces slightly contorting in confusion, indicating they were all hearing the same thing.
As the commotion steadily grew, Nausicaä felt a deep dread subtly build in her stomach.
"Who do you think you are?!" Matsuge shouted. "Thinking you can just treat us like dirt?!"
"Why, I apologize!" Utsu barked out sarcastically. "After all, you Pejites have been such perfect saints!"
In the heart of the Valley, five individuals were currently trading verbal blows, with many more having gathered around them to witness the feuding. One didn't need to know the context to see that it was getting ugly.
We didn't want any part in it!" Mujitsu fired back.
"That's funny, because I didn't exactly see your friend over there resisting," Nigai pointed to Yūzai, who merely stood by silently with arms crossed and an irritated expression on her face.
"Now then, I recommend you all recognize your places, and get back to helping us clean up this mess," Nigai added.
"Our places?" growled Matsuge. "You wanna say that to my face?" he asked, moving threateningly closer to his agitator.
"You keep away from us," Utsu said in a low, snarling tone, similarly stepping forward. "Or we're going to have to-"
"What is going on here?!"
The distressed voice of Nausicaä broke through the boiling tension. In the moment of silence that followed, the princess herself managed to shove her way past the increasingly volatile crowd, with Asbel and Yupa following close behind as she took in the scene before her.
On one side, she saw Utsu, a sturdily build gentleman of average height and dark brown hair, sporting a clean-shaven face as opposed to the bushy mustache many other Valley men wore; and Nigai, a slender woman a few years older than him, her short, black hair cascading down over a chiseled face. Both were two longtime members of the Valley, known for their outspoken bluntness with little regard for others' sentiments. On the other side were three Pejites that Nausicaä had only barely seen before, but could tell they were not from here based on their lack of any presence in the Valley prior to the Tolmekian attack.
The princess awaited the answer to her question. Her eyes brimmed with grave concern as, despite asking, she could already easily surmise what was happening here.
"What does it look like?!" Utsu shouted. "These Pejites have antagonized us yet again!"
"Oh, that's rich!" Matsuge mocked. "As if we're the ones who shoved you!"
"You're the ones who tried to destroy our home!" a Valley citizen in the "audience" spat bitterly. "Hardly even, I would say!"
Mujitsu turned to shout back, "That wasn't-"
"The Tolmekians deserved revenge!" a Pejite onlooker yelled. "As if you'd have done any differently!"
"Enough!!" Asbel interjected, quickly stepping in between the two sides and facing his fellow Pejites before the situation escalated too far. At the same time, Nausicaä identically raced to face Utsu and Nigai, still wound up and appearing rather displeased by the interference of their princess. All while Lord Yupa stayed back. His eyes glared daggers at any grumbling onlooker who appeared ready to involve themselves, hands ready to reach his sword should the situation truly spiral out of hand.
"Utsu, Nigai ... I understand what you both are feeling towards the Pejites. Truly, I do," Nausicaä said, trying to keep her tone cordial and mature as the royal authority figure she was. "But this senseless arguing and belittling won't get anyone anywhere. Whether we like it or not, the best way forward to getting our Valley rebuilt is through cooperation."
Her glare turned to the crowd. "With everyone."
The three Pejites in the center listened in to Nausicaä's plea, grateful for her attempts to cool the situation, yet also raising their eyebrows in question at her specific phrasing. Nonetheless, they stayed quiet upon Asbel's nonverbal requests, not wishing to further agitate their prince. They knew he had a close bond with the Valley princess, which gave them a great advantage in predicaments like this ... as in, the many that had sprouted up before this one, and more that surely would after.
"Please," Nausicaä insisted to everyone listening. "Everyone head back and calm down. We can't let this be the new normal in the Valley."
No one made much of a reaction to her words. For at this point, they had all become well familiar with this whole routine, one that had occurred multiple times throughout the Valley as of late: Pejites and Valley citizens would antagonize one another, nearly come to blows, but then have someone come in to break it up ... usually Nausicaä, Asbel, or both. It was successful in keeping things as orderly as they could be, but hardly ever accomplished anything greater than that.
And so, without any further convincing required, Utsu and Nigai both turned around to head the other way. Nausicaä's face didn't soften, not until they were out of her sight.
Before that happened, however, Utsu kept his bitter eyes on the three Pejites he'd been fighting. He didn't bother to look at Nausicaä as he spoke one last time, with the lowest of voices but rawest of emotion.
"The old normal died with my father."
Nausicaä's entire body stiffened, as the two instigators then finally walked away.
Soon enough, the rest of the crowd gradually followed suit. A few hurled insults just loud enough for the opposing side to hear, but all behaved well enough in front of the princess to make for as smooth a disbanding as possible.
Eventually, Nausicaä and Yupa's attention could be focused solely on the three remaining Pejites, each of whom had their eyes on their prince, hoping for security and reassurance.
But they were quick to see that he was no more pleased than Nausicaä.
"Asbel ..." Mujitsu said with a solemn voice.
"I know," Asbel replied, already aware of what she was going to say.
"I promise you, I didn't do anything," she said regardless.
"I know," Asbel repeated. "I know you well enough to know that much ... at least two of you ..."
His glance veered over to Yūzai, who hadn't spoken a word in any of the confrontation he had seen. And yet, her cold, hardened stare and disdainful demeanor said all that was needed about what she felt about the whole mess.
"I wish I could say the same for all Pejites," Mujitsu said. "Did you hear about what Tonan did to Gisei?"
"Ah yes, I nearly had to get rather physical in settling that," Lord Yupa uttered with a shake of his head. "Stealing food, the nerve!"
Nausicaä couldn't help but let out a loud, prolonged sigh that caught everyone's attention. Yupa and Asbel looked at her sympathetically, knowing how much it hurt her to see such strife, especially in her home.
Such had been the case ever since the Ohm attack. While the Pejites had agreed to help them rebuild the Valley, they had not been greeted with unanimously open arms. Many Valley citizens still carried heavy resentment for having their lives and homes nearly sacrificed, over a conflict they should never have been part of in the first place. While the stampede was thankfully stopped before it reached the majority of the Valley, an unfortunate few had ended up stranded on the outskirts, vulnerable to the attack and ultimately suffering a gruesome end at the hands of the Ohms' rage ... one of those few being Utsu's father.
The Pejites, in turn, ended up growing distrusting of the denizens of the Valley. Some of those who had not been in favor of their government's heinous plan were fed up with being unjustly targeted and ridiculed, threatening to turn even the most merciful of them bitter. And those who had been willing to go along with the plan, or even helped form it themselves, already had a dismissive view on the Valley's well-being to begin with.
With mistrust forming on both sides, tensions were rising more and more by the day. So far nothing had turned to outright violence ... although many believed this to be the sole doing of Nausicaä and her closest allies in their efforts to keep everything contained.
Truthfully, it likely was. And her mind and heart ached in knowing as much.
"What am I supposed to do Asbel?"
Nausicaä professed her worries to Asbel later that evening, in the privacy of her garden. She held her head in her hands as she sat dejectedly in her chair. "It feels like everywhere I look, there's some new conflict. Why do so few people want to try and make peace with one another?"
Asbel let out a deep sigh, arms crossed as he leaned against a wall. "I ... I don't know. I thought we maybe could have made up for our wrongs, but ... people are angry. My people, yours ... there's a lot of hurt."
Nausicaä nodded sadly. She rose up to her feet and walked over to tend to one of her plants, slowly getting lost in her troubled thoughts.
She didn't blame anyone for their hurt. Nor could she fully judge them for lashing out in response to it. She herself had become briefly lost to her rage when she saw her own father dead at the hands of the Tolmekians, lashing out and slaughtering nearly every soldier responsible. It was a moment she looked back on with utter disgust in herself, fearful of what she was capable of doing. And yet, she still felt the simmering rage return to her even now, just thinking about their horrible crimes ... as well as the Pejites' crimes.
"Nausicaä ..." Asbel spoke again, breaking up her thoughts. "Earlier, when you said we had to cooperate ... 'like it or not' ... what did you mean?"
Nausicaä's felt her body freeze up in place. Her lips curled in on themselves as she turned around, trying her best to look Asbel in the eyes and hold in her shame.
"Asbel ... y-you know I trust you. You've done so much to help me save the Valley, a-and even after that ... I-It's just that I ... I-"
"You know what we're capable of," Asbel finished. What I'm capable of, he thought.
Asbel had been completely unaware of his people's merciless, destructive plot against their invaders. When he and Nausicaä did discover it, he and many other Pejites joined her in helping bring it to an end. However, it was true that he himself had also given in to a quest for vengeance. After the death of his sister indirectly caused by the Tolmekian invasion, he'd went after them in his own gunship. Nausicaä had gotten caught in the crossfire, however, and had it not been for her quick thinking and resourcefulness, she and several other innocents would have been killed thanks to him.
Similarly to Nausicaä, he thought poorly of himself for his past actions ... realizing that it was that same kind of blind rage that had partially put them in this problem to begin with.
Seeing the disappointed look in his eyes, not realizing it was partially aimed at himself, Nausicaä spoke up again. "I'm sorry!" she cried out. "I wish I could trust all of you, b-but they could have killed everyone I care about! And made the Decay even worse in the process!"
She lowered her head down, unwilling to show her disheartened face to her friend. "You must think me weak. Giving in to the prejudices everyone else has."
Asbel thought it best not to immediately respond. Rather, he went up and put his hands on the princess's shoulders from behind, trying to ease her distraught mind.
Feeling her body relax ever so slightly, he then spoke up again. "You're not wrong. They - we - did things that a lot of us aren't proud of. And ... I'm sorry ... for everything."
The red-haired girl twisted her head around to finally meet Asbel's gaze. It was unmistakably uncertain, but still radiated the visible warmth and comfort that Nausicaä needed.
"And I promise you," Asbel continued, his voice wavering yet still sincere. "Many Pejites feel the same way I do. We want everything to work out. And we'll try."
As she listened to the prince's promise, a faint hint of a smile finally started forming on Nausicaä's lovely face. Her soulful auburn eyes began to glimmer with this newest spark of hope, one not yet transformed to flame but nonetheless present. She wanted to believe him. And she wanted to believe that her own side wanted the same thing.
It was just a matter of those people being the ones to step up and lead the path, instead of sitting idly by and watching their own kind hurt each other further.
Nausicaä brought her arms around the Pejite's neck for a hug, which he earnestly returned around her middle. They let it linger, at least being able to rest easy knowing that, whatever those around them tried or whatever new challenges came their way, they had each other's solace.
"I think I need some time alone now," Nausicaä said soon after. "To clear my head."
"Sure," Asbel replied as they separated. "Do you want me to grab your glider?"
Nausicaä shook her head. "I think I'll just go along by foot. It's a very lovely evening, after all."
Asbel nodded with a light grin, watching as Nausicaä went to collect her mask and a few pieces of gear. "Alright. Just be careful."
Teto suddenly came scurrying up the girl's arm, rubbing his head into her neck eager to join her. "Don't worry, I've got Teto to protect me," Nausicaä said with a giggle.
The two exchanged a brief bit of laughter, before waving each other off as Nausicaä headed out the door, closing it behind her.
Leaving both of the young fighters to ponder over themselves, each other, and what the future held for their people and for the earth.
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, and the characters of Nausicaä, Asbel, and Yupa, all belong to Studio Ghibli. The image used was made by Yalleo .
Happy New Year everyone! I think it's safe to say we're all ready for 2021, desperately hoping that it will be the turnaround from this mess we all need.
As promised, I wanted to kick off the year with the start of a brand new story, this one of course being for the Hayao Miyazaki classic Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind! Taking place a few weeks after the movie, I got the idea for the story when thinking about how the citizens of the Valley would feel towards the Pejites after what the latter tried to do to them, and how the Pejites would feel in turn. This will continue to be explored as the story goes along, but once I decided to have that be part of the setup, the rest of the fic became fairly clear in my eyes.
And of course, I consider Nausicaä herself to be one of the MOST underutilized characters for DiD ever! I've seen a few works here and there, but it really should be way more than that. So, as usual, I'm here to try and fill that void where I see an underrepresented character. ;) But as many know, I've been increasingly trying to work the bondage aspects around more plot-driven, serious, "legit" stories, meaning the stuff a lot of you probably come here for won't be immediate. But already with how the chapter ends off, I think most can guess that Nausicaä's evening stroll won't be quite as pleasant as she thinks it'll be. ;)
It's been a while since I've uploaded written content, and maybe I'm a bit rusty getting back to it, but it feels great to have a new story finally started again! Here's to many more to come, along with many other much-needed blessings, throughout the year. :)
Oh, and thanks a lot to Yalleo for making the image of Nausicaä! :D You can find the whole thing here: https://www.deviantart.com/yalleo/a.....eril-850042965
Venturing into the depths of the dense, toxin-filled jungle would provide an onlooker's eyes with a feast of rich blues and greens, the work of the plethora of tall spores and fungi sprouting throughout the environment, whose vibrant visuals hid their poisonous nature resulting from the soil that birthed them. Standing at a distance looking at it on the horizon, one would be splendidly treated with a view of the bright blue sky against the boundary of jungle treetops, maybe even the glow of a rising or falling sun seeming to almost shimmer against the landscape. Soaring high above it all, the densely packed foliage would appear to resemble a luscious green, protective blanket over the earth beneath it ... alongside the eerie image of many decayed, hulking skulls that had since become additional homes for these life forms. Oftentimes the land could appear rather murky, a sign of its decay over the past one thousand years. But among that ominous appearance lay a remarkable beauty that, with hope and discipline, could possibly find its way back.
One girl was currently experiencing the view through this third airborne way ... although she had more than her fair share being granted all three.
As the wind rushed through her thick, radiant red hair, ruffling the skirt region of her clothing, her gloved hands kept a tight, stable grip on the rails of the glider she had now so handily mastered. A beaming grin would have been visible had it not been for the protective mask concealing her youthful face. A small fox-squirrel held on equally tightly to her, very far removed from his natural conditions but trusting his human companion to keep him safe.
The girl swooped down as she saw her destination, her heart gleefully racing at the momentum of her descent.
Her eyes were laid upon a valley. From a distance, it looked fairly barren, with miles of flattened land interspersed with an array of stalagmites spread throughout a rocky terrain. But if a passerby drew closer, they would be able to make out a series of rustic yet functional windmills and spinning blades, carefully and skillfully constructed, in addition to a lake of vibrant grass trimmed neatly into large square patches. Humans of this valley could be seen riding on Horseclaws, sparsely spaced out as a majority of them stuck to their humble abodes.
It was no lavish home. Particularly as of late, it was in rougher condition than usual. The forest was all but entirely burned to the ground, many homes lay in ruin, several people were recovering from injury, and construction was needed daily to restore the mills and structures that had been torn down. All of this, due to a series of terrible events that had taken place several weeks prior ...
The gliding girl shook her head to chase away the foul memories this brought back. She instead looked forward to returning back to the place and people she called home, willing and able to see the beauty that still remained even in the most unlikely places ... a trait sadly not many others possessed.
Indeed, already she could see two good friends of hers awaiting her return as the land came closer to her proximity. One was Lord Yupa, the legendary swordsmaster who had come to practically be a member of her family. Though his age and ragged appearance made him look like nothing special, she had learned from both stories and experience that his skills with weapons were practically unparalleled. While she always wanted to settle conflict non-violently, she knew that sometimes such measures were unfortunately necessary, one of many reasons she found his presence so comforting.
The girl finally completed her descent as her glider gently touched down on dirt. The wind blew dust up around it as those observing her kept at a distance to keep the particles out of their eyes.
Lord Yupa was the first to step forward afterwards, as the beautiful auburn-haired girl stepped off with her fox-squirrel companion on her shoulder.
"I take it your travels were safe, Nausicaä? Or as safe as they could be?" Yupa asked pleasantly, as the two came in for a familiar hug.
"Yes! And productive!" the girl, Nausicaä, was happy to report, as she always was when returning from such a trek. "We may now have enough materials to get the well pumping twice as quickly as before. And I even found some seeds that look like they could still be grown! They'll fit right into the garden!" She was referring to the once-secret garden she had been growing in the deepest chambers of her home, where she had discovered that non-toxic soil could sprout clean, healthy plants, in contrast to the dangerous ones that had been growing in the jungle's polluted soil ... soil that she hoped would one day be purified as well.
Ever since the apocalyptic war known as the Seven Days of Fire, the land had been greatly troubled by the threat of the Sea of Decay, primarily the toxic jungle that the resulting pollution had created. Countless homes had been uprooted, options for land and settlement had gotten fewer and fewer, and resources had become substantially less plentiful, all culminating to make survival a challenge to all but the most fortunate of souls.
As bad as that was, however, Nausicaä would gladly choose to live that way over how others chose to respond to the threat ... and how far she had discovered some were willing to go.
Weeks ago, her Valley had been invaded by the military-driven kingdom of Tolmekia, who held her home captive as part of their plans to burn the entire jungle down. To make matters worse, they had done so after similarly attacking the village of Pejite, who had retaliated by unleashing a rampage of giant Ohms upon their own homes to wipe out the invaders ... and then attempted to do the same to the ones occupying the Valley, cruelly willing to sacrifice the lives of Nausicaä's own people as well. Gratefully, in a stunning act that had been foretold through prophecy, Nausicaä had managed to stop the resulting rampage and send both it and the Tolmekians away, while the Pejites stayed behind to help rebuild what had been destroyed in the Tolmekian siege.
It upset Nausicaä to her very core to discover just how much cruelty and evil these other kingdoms were capable of, how much they let their hatred consume them, how much they were willing to destroy. All while she merely did her very best to maintain peace, so that the world may have its chance to be cleansed and restored to its rightful state.
"I still can't believe you managed to grow so much in there already!"
Nausicaä turned to this third voice that spoke, smiling to see the second of these two friends: Asbel, a handsome, brown-haired boy around her own age, the good-hearted prince of Pejite, and an instrumental ally in helping her save her Valley from destruction.
The two friends similarly embraced, as Teto went to perch on Yupa's shoulder. Nausicaä responded, "With any luck, what I've done in there will be what becomes of the entire jungle."
That was all the princess hoped for, really. Not the honor of fulfilling some ancient prophecy, nor the admiration of her peers; just for her home, and the homes of all living things across the earth, to prosper tranquilly and happily. Still, she couldn't help but beam at the praise from her trusted friend.
"It won't come any time soon," Asbel replied. "The jungle's huge; there's a lot that needs to be undone."
"I know," Nausicaä said with a tinge of sadness. "But we've been able to survive alongside it for hundreds of years; we can hold out for more. We just need to be patient and let it happen."
Asbel nodded, the girl's resolute faith and wisdom rubbing off onto him, as it already had in the short time he'd known her. Indeed, Asbel couldn't help but frequently admire the Valley princess. Rarely in his life had he ever met someone as headstrong, brave, yet also compassionate and kind, always trying to find a proper way out of a situation most would be quick to take on more aggressively. Asbel was ashamed to say that he himself had been one of those individuals lacking such insight, but his relatively short time in her presence had already awakened him to the possibilities that came from acting on one's love rather than one's anger.
He felt, in hindsight, that such a thing was what his dear sister would have wanted for him.
"Now then," Yupa interjected. "Shall we see what Nausicaä here has scavenged for us?" he asked, a hand on the girl's shoulder.
Just like that, childlike excitement returned to Nausicaä's face. She immediately darted back to her glider, eager to share her findings with the two, as Asbel smirked and Yupa chuckled at her obvious enthusiasm. Teto leapt off of Yupa to follow her, seemingly curious to rummage through it all himself.
Nausicaä's momentum, however, was interrupted by a new series of voices, slowly creeping their way into her range of hearing. Their words were impossible to decipher from this distance, but the tones she could make out from each voice sounded increasingly confrontational. She saw the heads of Asbel, Yupa, and Teto turn as well, their faces slightly contorting in confusion, indicating they were all hearing the same thing.
As the commotion steadily grew, Nausicaä felt a deep dread subtly build in her stomach.
"Who do you think you are?!" Matsuge shouted. "Thinking you can just treat us like dirt?!"
"Why, I apologize!" Utsu barked out sarcastically. "After all, you Pejites have been such perfect saints!"
In the heart of the Valley, five individuals were currently trading verbal blows, with many more having gathered around them to witness the feuding. One didn't need to know the context to see that it was getting ugly.
We didn't want any part in it!" Mujitsu fired back.
"That's funny, because I didn't exactly see your friend over there resisting," Nigai pointed to Yūzai, who merely stood by silently with arms crossed and an irritated expression on her face.
"Now then, I recommend you all recognize your places, and get back to helping us clean up this mess," Nigai added.
"Our places?" growled Matsuge. "You wanna say that to my face?" he asked, moving threateningly closer to his agitator.
"You keep away from us," Utsu said in a low, snarling tone, similarly stepping forward. "Or we're going to have to-"
"What is going on here?!"
The distressed voice of Nausicaä broke through the boiling tension. In the moment of silence that followed, the princess herself managed to shove her way past the increasingly volatile crowd, with Asbel and Yupa following close behind as she took in the scene before her.
On one side, she saw Utsu, a sturdily build gentleman of average height and dark brown hair, sporting a clean-shaven face as opposed to the bushy mustache many other Valley men wore; and Nigai, a slender woman a few years older than him, her short, black hair cascading down over a chiseled face. Both were two longtime members of the Valley, known for their outspoken bluntness with little regard for others' sentiments. On the other side were three Pejites that Nausicaä had only barely seen before, but could tell they were not from here based on their lack of any presence in the Valley prior to the Tolmekian attack.
The princess awaited the answer to her question. Her eyes brimmed with grave concern as, despite asking, she could already easily surmise what was happening here.
"What does it look like?!" Utsu shouted. "These Pejites have antagonized us yet again!"
"Oh, that's rich!" Matsuge mocked. "As if we're the ones who shoved you!"
"You're the ones who tried to destroy our home!" a Valley citizen in the "audience" spat bitterly. "Hardly even, I would say!"
Mujitsu turned to shout back, "That wasn't-"
"The Tolmekians deserved revenge!" a Pejite onlooker yelled. "As if you'd have done any differently!"
"Enough!!" Asbel interjected, quickly stepping in between the two sides and facing his fellow Pejites before the situation escalated too far. At the same time, Nausicaä identically raced to face Utsu and Nigai, still wound up and appearing rather displeased by the interference of their princess. All while Lord Yupa stayed back. His eyes glared daggers at any grumbling onlooker who appeared ready to involve themselves, hands ready to reach his sword should the situation truly spiral out of hand.
"Utsu, Nigai ... I understand what you both are feeling towards the Pejites. Truly, I do," Nausicaä said, trying to keep her tone cordial and mature as the royal authority figure she was. "But this senseless arguing and belittling won't get anyone anywhere. Whether we like it or not, the best way forward to getting our Valley rebuilt is through cooperation."
Her glare turned to the crowd. "With everyone."
The three Pejites in the center listened in to Nausicaä's plea, grateful for her attempts to cool the situation, yet also raising their eyebrows in question at her specific phrasing. Nonetheless, they stayed quiet upon Asbel's nonverbal requests, not wishing to further agitate their prince. They knew he had a close bond with the Valley princess, which gave them a great advantage in predicaments like this ... as in, the many that had sprouted up before this one, and more that surely would after.
"Please," Nausicaä insisted to everyone listening. "Everyone head back and calm down. We can't let this be the new normal in the Valley."
No one made much of a reaction to her words. For at this point, they had all become well familiar with this whole routine, one that had occurred multiple times throughout the Valley as of late: Pejites and Valley citizens would antagonize one another, nearly come to blows, but then have someone come in to break it up ... usually Nausicaä, Asbel, or both. It was successful in keeping things as orderly as they could be, but hardly ever accomplished anything greater than that.
And so, without any further convincing required, Utsu and Nigai both turned around to head the other way. Nausicaä's face didn't soften, not until they were out of her sight.
Before that happened, however, Utsu kept his bitter eyes on the three Pejites he'd been fighting. He didn't bother to look at Nausicaä as he spoke one last time, with the lowest of voices but rawest of emotion.
"The old normal died with my father."
Nausicaä's entire body stiffened, as the two instigators then finally walked away.
Soon enough, the rest of the crowd gradually followed suit. A few hurled insults just loud enough for the opposing side to hear, but all behaved well enough in front of the princess to make for as smooth a disbanding as possible.
Eventually, Nausicaä and Yupa's attention could be focused solely on the three remaining Pejites, each of whom had their eyes on their prince, hoping for security and reassurance.
But they were quick to see that he was no more pleased than Nausicaä.
"Asbel ..." Mujitsu said with a solemn voice.
"I know," Asbel replied, already aware of what she was going to say.
"I promise you, I didn't do anything," she said regardless.
"I know," Asbel repeated. "I know you well enough to know that much ... at least two of you ..."
His glance veered over to Yūzai, who hadn't spoken a word in any of the confrontation he had seen. And yet, her cold, hardened stare and disdainful demeanor said all that was needed about what she felt about the whole mess.
"I wish I could say the same for all Pejites," Mujitsu said. "Did you hear about what Tonan did to Gisei?"
"Ah yes, I nearly had to get rather physical in settling that," Lord Yupa uttered with a shake of his head. "Stealing food, the nerve!"
Nausicaä couldn't help but let out a loud, prolonged sigh that caught everyone's attention. Yupa and Asbel looked at her sympathetically, knowing how much it hurt her to see such strife, especially in her home.
Such had been the case ever since the Ohm attack. While the Pejites had agreed to help them rebuild the Valley, they had not been greeted with unanimously open arms. Many Valley citizens still carried heavy resentment for having their lives and homes nearly sacrificed, over a conflict they should never have been part of in the first place. While the stampede was thankfully stopped before it reached the majority of the Valley, an unfortunate few had ended up stranded on the outskirts, vulnerable to the attack and ultimately suffering a gruesome end at the hands of the Ohms' rage ... one of those few being Utsu's father.
The Pejites, in turn, ended up growing distrusting of the denizens of the Valley. Some of those who had not been in favor of their government's heinous plan were fed up with being unjustly targeted and ridiculed, threatening to turn even the most merciful of them bitter. And those who had been willing to go along with the plan, or even helped form it themselves, already had a dismissive view on the Valley's well-being to begin with.
With mistrust forming on both sides, tensions were rising more and more by the day. So far nothing had turned to outright violence ... although many believed this to be the sole doing of Nausicaä and her closest allies in their efforts to keep everything contained.
Truthfully, it likely was. And her mind and heart ached in knowing as much.
"What am I supposed to do Asbel?"
Nausicaä professed her worries to Asbel later that evening, in the privacy of her garden. She held her head in her hands as she sat dejectedly in her chair. "It feels like everywhere I look, there's some new conflict. Why do so few people want to try and make peace with one another?"
Asbel let out a deep sigh, arms crossed as he leaned against a wall. "I ... I don't know. I thought we maybe could have made up for our wrongs, but ... people are angry. My people, yours ... there's a lot of hurt."
Nausicaä nodded sadly. She rose up to her feet and walked over to tend to one of her plants, slowly getting lost in her troubled thoughts.
She didn't blame anyone for their hurt. Nor could she fully judge them for lashing out in response to it. She herself had become briefly lost to her rage when she saw her own father dead at the hands of the Tolmekians, lashing out and slaughtering nearly every soldier responsible. It was a moment she looked back on with utter disgust in herself, fearful of what she was capable of doing. And yet, she still felt the simmering rage return to her even now, just thinking about their horrible crimes ... as well as the Pejites' crimes.
"Nausicaä ..." Asbel spoke again, breaking up her thoughts. "Earlier, when you said we had to cooperate ... 'like it or not' ... what did you mean?"
Nausicaä's felt her body freeze up in place. Her lips curled in on themselves as she turned around, trying her best to look Asbel in the eyes and hold in her shame.
"Asbel ... y-you know I trust you. You've done so much to help me save the Valley, a-and even after that ... I-It's just that I ... I-"
"You know what we're capable of," Asbel finished. What I'm capable of, he thought.
Asbel had been completely unaware of his people's merciless, destructive plot against their invaders. When he and Nausicaä did discover it, he and many other Pejites joined her in helping bring it to an end. However, it was true that he himself had also given in to a quest for vengeance. After the death of his sister indirectly caused by the Tolmekian invasion, he'd went after them in his own gunship. Nausicaä had gotten caught in the crossfire, however, and had it not been for her quick thinking and resourcefulness, she and several other innocents would have been killed thanks to him.
Similarly to Nausicaä, he thought poorly of himself for his past actions ... realizing that it was that same kind of blind rage that had partially put them in this problem to begin with.
Seeing the disappointed look in his eyes, not realizing it was partially aimed at himself, Nausicaä spoke up again. "I'm sorry!" she cried out. "I wish I could trust all of you, b-but they could have killed everyone I care about! And made the Decay even worse in the process!"
She lowered her head down, unwilling to show her disheartened face to her friend. "You must think me weak. Giving in to the prejudices everyone else has."
Asbel thought it best not to immediately respond. Rather, he went up and put his hands on the princess's shoulders from behind, trying to ease her distraught mind.
Feeling her body relax ever so slightly, he then spoke up again. "You're not wrong. They - we - did things that a lot of us aren't proud of. And ... I'm sorry ... for everything."
The red-haired girl twisted her head around to finally meet Asbel's gaze. It was unmistakably uncertain, but still radiated the visible warmth and comfort that Nausicaä needed.
"And I promise you," Asbel continued, his voice wavering yet still sincere. "Many Pejites feel the same way I do. We want everything to work out. And we'll try."
As she listened to the prince's promise, a faint hint of a smile finally started forming on Nausicaä's lovely face. Her soulful auburn eyes began to glimmer with this newest spark of hope, one not yet transformed to flame but nonetheless present. She wanted to believe him. And she wanted to believe that her own side wanted the same thing.
It was just a matter of those people being the ones to step up and lead the path, instead of sitting idly by and watching their own kind hurt each other further.
Nausicaä brought her arms around the Pejite's neck for a hug, which he earnestly returned around her middle. They let it linger, at least being able to rest easy knowing that, whatever those around them tried or whatever new challenges came their way, they had each other's solace.
"I think I need some time alone now," Nausicaä said soon after. "To clear my head."
"Sure," Asbel replied as they separated. "Do you want me to grab your glider?"
Nausicaä shook her head. "I think I'll just go along by foot. It's a very lovely evening, after all."
Asbel nodded with a light grin, watching as Nausicaä went to collect her mask and a few pieces of gear. "Alright. Just be careful."
Teto suddenly came scurrying up the girl's arm, rubbing his head into her neck eager to join her. "Don't worry, I've got Teto to protect me," Nausicaä said with a giggle.
The two exchanged a brief bit of laughter, before waving each other off as Nausicaä headed out the door, closing it behind her.
Leaving both of the young fighters to ponder over themselves, each other, and what the future held for their people and for the earth.
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, and the characters of Nausicaä, Asbel, and Yupa, all belong to Studio Ghibli. The image used was made by Yalleo .
Happy New Year everyone! I think it's safe to say we're all ready for 2021, desperately hoping that it will be the turnaround from this mess we all need.
As promised, I wanted to kick off the year with the start of a brand new story, this one of course being for the Hayao Miyazaki classic Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind! Taking place a few weeks after the movie, I got the idea for the story when thinking about how the citizens of the Valley would feel towards the Pejites after what the latter tried to do to them, and how the Pejites would feel in turn. This will continue to be explored as the story goes along, but once I decided to have that be part of the setup, the rest of the fic became fairly clear in my eyes.
And of course, I consider Nausicaä herself to be one of the MOST underutilized characters for DiD ever! I've seen a few works here and there, but it really should be way more than that. So, as usual, I'm here to try and fill that void where I see an underrepresented character. ;) But as many know, I've been increasingly trying to work the bondage aspects around more plot-driven, serious, "legit" stories, meaning the stuff a lot of you probably come here for won't be immediate. But already with how the chapter ends off, I think most can guess that Nausicaä's evening stroll won't be quite as pleasant as she thinks it'll be. ;)
It's been a while since I've uploaded written content, and maybe I'm a bit rusty getting back to it, but it feels great to have a new story finally started again! Here's to many more to come, along with many other much-needed blessings, throughout the year. :)
Oh, and thanks a lot to Yalleo for making the image of Nausicaä! :D You can find the whole thing here: https://www.deviantart.com/yalleo/a.....eril-850042965
Category Story / All
Species Unspecified / Any
Gender Female
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File Size 154.7 kB
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