Innocence and All That Chapter 5
By Intrasonic
An average meeting perhaps, if it weren't being held in
Baron Castle's conference room. There were three people present in the closed
room, all contrasting sharply with each other.
The first was a young man with light blond hair. Well-polished
silver armour and a heavy broadsword as his side suggested that he was a
warrior of some sort, albeit, a warrior with a crown upon his head. His
clean-shaven face was slightly drawn from the weight of responsibility, but
still had a surprisingly youthful appearance to it.
The second was a middle-aged man, with red-brown
hair, wearing oil-stained clothing that ruled out his being a warrior of
any type. An over-abundance of facial hair and a lack of top hair gave him
an almost comical look.
The third was a somewhat aged man, dressed in simple
traveller's robes. He had a somewhat worn appearance about him, but the joyous
look upon his face did wonders to offset that.
"You are in earnest, your Majesty?" he was asking.
The first nodded. "Baron's airships should have
no trouble getting the necessary supplies over to Eblan Castle. Isn't that
right, Cid?"
The second grinned easily. "Easy as pie, Cecil!
Baron's airships were built to carry a lot of weapons. Once we take most
of them off, you wouldn't believe how much material they'll move!"
"And it lets me get the crews used to peacetime
duties," Cecil agreed. "Baron's not planning on any more conquests. But the
airships should still be quite useful for trade and transportation purposes."
The third man bowed. "You have our most sincere
gratitude, King Cecil. And you as well, Master Cid. Again, I regret that
my lord is unable to attend..."
"Don't worry about it," Cecil admonished. "I'm sure
we'll meet up him before long."
"Soon's he stops chasin' after the poor little girl,
huh?" Cid chortled.
The advisor flushed crimson. "He... is rather adamant
in his pursuit of that girl, I confess."
"He's young, that's all. He'll smarten up before
long," Cid soothed. "Either that, or Rydia'll send him back home in a pine
box!"
The advisor sighed. "Between the three of us, sometimes
I think that either would be welcomed."
"Give him a little time," Cecil agreed, unable to
keep from smiling.
"That's right," Cid seconded. "Why, you should have
seen Cecil and Rosa..."
Cecil coughed loudly. "Ahem. Perhaps you should
be readying the ships for departure, Cid..."
With discretion befitting his countless years of
dealing with the same people who approved project proposals, the mechanic
beat a hasty retreat from the room. "Already on it, Cecil. Don't get your
armour in a cinch."
The door knocked. Or rather, someone on the other
side knocked.
"Enter," Cecil invited, the advisor from Eblan taking
a step to the side in deference.
Entering the room was someone immediately recognizable
as being from the village of Mysidia. A scholar of the black half of magics,
if the uniform was any indication. Someone extremely distraught. "Your Majesty!"
Cecil blinked at the rather unrestrained tone being
used. "Is something the matter?"
The mage swallowed, bowing hastily. "Begging your
pardon, Your Majesty. But a matter of utmost urgency has come up."
"Then spit it out already," Cid encouraged.
"There are a large contingent of people skilled
at white magic within Baron," the mage informed Cecil, by way of elaboration.
"On behalf of Mysidia, I ask that you release them to head at once to Mysidia."
A raised eyebrow. "What's happened?"
"Rydia... the Caller Rydia is gravely injured, beyond
our means to heal her."
That got Cecil's attention. "Rydia? Hurt?"
"Extremely badly. She was-"
"Explain on the way downstairs!" Cecil ordered,
already heading out of the room.
The advisor ran after the king, continuing his
explanation. "She was carried into the village only hours ago, by Eblan's
prince. She was grievously injured, and even the entirety of our strongest
healers are unable to effect any restoration to her. We are quite fearful
for her life, to be frank."
The thought that the best healers in Mysidia - the
very city that had been renowned for centuries for its dedication and expertise
in the magical arts - were powerless was a nasty thought in itself. As for
why Rydia was even injured so badly in the first place...
"My wife will accompany us," Cecil decided, starting
down another hallway. Chasing down a servant, he gave some brief orders.
"Give word for the best healers in the castle to prepare to depart for Mysidia
on a moment's notice."
With only a moment's hesitation, the servant ran
off to pass on the message.
Cid started off in another direction, towards the
castle exit. "I guess I'll go make sure the Serpent Path is clear. Wouldn't
do to keep the girl waiting."
The mage followed Cecil. "With all due respect,
Your Majesty, we thought that it might be prudent if you yourself did not
go to Mysidia..."
"I'm halfway skilled at White magic myself, you
know," Cecil replied. He smiled thinly. "And I had no idea that I was so
strongly disliked by Mysidia."
"Perish the thought! But under the circumstances,
the elders speculated that your presence in particular might be taken poorly
by Rydia."
Cecil spent several seconds trying to make sense
of that comment before giving up and focussing on locating his wife. "Considered
and rejected. You can try to change my mind on the way over to Mysidia."
To his credit, the mage did try to change
Cecil's mind on the way over to Mysidia. While his attempt was doomed to
failure from the start, it was a considerably more sombre-faced king that
rushed into the room where Rydia was being cared for.
"Rydia..."
"Oh my," Rosa breathed, entering the room only a
moment later.
"Cecil! Rosa!" Edge was instantly on his feet. His
eyes looked rather drawn, as though he'd gone too long without proper sleep.
It wasn't hard to guess that he was running on adrenaline and little else
at the moment. "You gotta help her!"
Rosa quickly scanned the battered and unconscious
form on the bed that was Rydia. Aside from the obvious marks of blood that
marked her exposed skin and had soaked through the sheets, Rosa could also
make out the braces that were tied to her left arm and leg, as well as the
thickly wrapped bandages around her ribs. The torn green-hued clothing draped
over a spare chair was easily identified as belonging to her.
Her practised eye quickly came to a conclusion.
"Dear me, they weren't exaggerating in the least."
That fact stated, she immediately knelt down next
to the bed, placing her hands on Rydia's forehead. A faint stream of white
energy surged around her body, quickly coalescing into a more visible pulse
of healing magic. The magic immediately entered into Rydia's body, disappearing
from sight without any noticeable effect.
The healer pursed her lips, concentrating again.
Just as before, magic left her and entered the prone form's body, once again
without effect. Opening her eyes again, she glanced over at Edge.
"She cast Meteo, didn't she?" Rosa inquired, obviously
knowing the answer already.
The ninja nodded grimly. "I wasn't there at the
time, but Mt. Ordeals is a little shorter now, so I'll bet that she probably
did. How did you know that?"
"Her body is completely drained," Rosa replied,
sounding worried. "Remember when she cast the spell against Zeromus? She
was so badly drained afterwards that it was over a week before she could
even cast even simple magic spells. Right now, any magic sent at her is simply
being absorbed before it can effect any healing. Her magic levels need to
be recharged before we can even try to heal her body..."
"How do we... fill her up again?" Edge wanted to
know.
Rosa pulled up a chair and took a seat next to the
bed. "Very carefully. Get some rest, Edge, you clearly need it. This is going
to take a long time. Cecil-dear, get some rest yourself. You may yet have
to continue where I leave off."
The two heads of royalty left the room, although
sleep was low priority for both of them as they quickly convened in the quarters
set aside for them.
"Alright, Edge," Cecil began. "What's going on?"
The ninja took a seat on the bed, sucking in a deep
breath. "You saw her for yourself, didn't you?"
"I did. And I was told that my presence might not
be taken very well by her. And she was apparently interrogating a lot of
people earlier, all in regards to me. And she left the village after talking
with you. And you chased after her. And you brought her back in that state.
And what were you saying about her casting Meteo up at Mt. Ordeals? I'd like
some details. Now."
Edge eyed Cecil, trying to decide how to give the
explanation. Edge would be lying if he claimed to understand anything
about how the man thought, but he'd be an even bigger liar to claim that
he didn't admire him all the same. "Uh... what do you think happened?"
"I'm sincerely hoping that she simply got tangled
up with someone evil and extremely dangerous, but managed to survive. I'm
hoping that this means that, if her opponent is still alive, we'll simply
have to join forces and vanquish the threat once and for all."
"Um, actually..."
"-but I'm not that naive," Cecil continued. "Because
people go to Mt. Ordeals to train. And I happen to know that my best friend,
Kain, has been training there for quite some time now."
Edge grimaced. "I think you have an idea of what's
going on, then."
"So when I hear that Rydia's been asking some heavy
questions about me, then fighting with Kain, I have to assume that it's over
something that Kain and I have in common, regarding her. Are you going to
provide me with some details, or am I going to have to keep guessing?"
"I think you have a really good idea of what's going
on."
"This about Mist Village, isn't it? About it being
destroyed?"
The ninja shrugged. "Probably. That's what I figured,
and she didn't deny it. She came by and asked everybody who'd talked with
you - back when you were still a Dark Knight, I guess. Then she left for
Mt. Ordeals to talk with Kain."
"Hold it. How did she know where Kain was? Kain
told me and Rosa before he left, but that was it. And I know he wasn't planning
on being disturbed."
"I hear things."
"You told her where Kain was."
"I saved her some time. She was going to look for
him anyway."
"And why, pray tell, didn't she simply take the
Serpent Road to Baron and talk with me first? Instead of trekking all the
way to Mt. Ordeals?"
"She was pretty sure that the whole thing wasn't
your fault."
"And she was certain that it was Kain's fault?"
"She went to find out for sure. I guess she found
out."
Cecil glared at Edge. "And next you're going to
tell me that she didn't have any encouragement?"
"Hey, don't blame me! I told her that I didn't think
you were guilty and that she'd probably learn more from talking with Kain.
Besides, even you can't deny that he had a nasty habit of getting brainwashed
by the enemy."
"Kain might very well be dead now!" Cecil
snapped, his temper beginning to slip. "All because you're too stubborn to
accept that it wasn't his fault!"
For once in his life, Edge was the restrained half
of the argument. "Hey, I'm the best ninja in Eblan. I know more about tricks
than you'll ever know. And I'm telling you that there's a heck of
a lot that doesn't make sense with him and that whole 'brainwashing' thing.
If we ever go up against the ultimate evil again, I'd be happy to have him
on my side. But that's it. If we find out that your best friend is dead now,
then sorry. But right now, I'm a heck of a lot more sympathetic towards Rydia,
you know?"
"If Kain is dead..."
"If Kain bit the dust, then I'll bet that he gave
Rydia a reason. She's nothing like that, and you know it."
Cecil frowned, but didn't press the matter. "We'll
see."
*Ambassador.*
Waking up and regaining consciousness could be entirely
different accomplishments. Thought comes easier than action, and a body under
hardship can potentially elect to permit the former, while preventing the
latter.
*Ambassador.*
The mind, however, is not necessarily under any
obligation to do anything productive under such circumstances.
*Rydia.*
*Go away.*
*You are alive.*
*I don't feel alive.*
*It has been some time since we lost contact with
you. We had feared for the worst.*
*I failed.*
*You are being premature in your judgement.*
*I wasn't strong enough, Leviathan.*
*You are stronger than you give yourself credit
for. This is merely a set-back.*
*Just let me sleep.*
*Your body is still weak right now. Rest, then we
will discuss matters further.*
*I'm not strong enough, Leviathan. Just let me sleep...*
The bedroom door gave a quiet squeak as Rosa pushed
on it, the well-worn hinges offering up a token resistance before swinging
open before her. In the room, both Cecil and Edge were asleep at the table,
both seated on chairs. In spite herself, she managed a sympathetic smile.
She'd been working over Rydia longer than she'd realized, if the night-sky
outside the window was any indication.
Edge had immediately woken up upon hearing the door,
but that was something she had long come to expect from the ninja. "Rosa...?"
his voice had a nervous edge to it.
Cecil opened his eyes upon hearing Rosa pull a chair
out for herself.
"She's past the initial danger point," she pronounced,
sagging down in the chair. "I can't believe how much more powerful she's
gotten over the last year."
Edge frowned. "More powerful?"
A nod. "She clearly hasn't stopped her training.
And most of her teachers are thousands of years old. It's no wonder
that all of Mysidia is so enamoured with her."
"Great to know that they're so worried about her."
"Don't be that way, Edge," Rosa chided gently. "They're
no more heartless than Cecil or I. They haven't had the benefit of knowing
her the way we have, but they care for her too. The children especially.
But I don't think you appreciate what a magical prodigy Rydia is."
The ninja shrugged indifferently. "I know she's
got some kick-ass magic. Heck, she just blew off the top of Mt. Ordeals,
didn't she? I know power when I see it. I just don't think she'd be anything
less if she wasn't so powerful. Around here, they do. You're sure she's going
to be okay?"
"Healing spells will work on her now. Some of the
white mages are presently doing just that. I was worried that she would starve
to death before I could stabilize her. My biggest concern right now is for
when she wakes up again."
"How come?"
"What are your thoughts, Cecil?"
The king frowned, not quite trusting himself to
speak. "I... don't know, Rosa. I really don't. If she actually killed Kain...
I don't know what to think about that."
Edge bit his tongue to keep from saying anything.
It wasn't as though he had any plans to extensively mourn the
probably-now-vaporized Dragoon. Cecil and Rosa seemed capable of ignoring
the fact that he'd turned traitor twice, but he wasn't nearly as
forgiving. When you trained in a fighting art that specialized in deception
and surprise, you quickly learned not to fall victim to the same. "We'll
get the whole story from Rydia when she wakes up," he finally suggested.
"Don't worry about it until then."
"Don't worry?!?" Cecil snapped. "Is that all you
can say? 'Don't worry?'."
"Well, what did you want to worry about then? I
don't know what happened on Mt. Ordeals. Looks like Rydia trashed the whole
area before I got there at the end. As soon as she's alright, she can tell
us the story herself. She was going to talk with you anyway, right? What's
the point in making all sorts of crazy guesses right now?"
"Edge... is right," Rosa agreed, once again playing
the role of the peacemaker. Nevertheless, the expression on her face clearly
indicated that her feelings were more in line with her husband's. "We don't
know what happened, so we'll simply have to be patient for the time being."
The next time Rydia awoke, she was more in touch
with the rest of her body. More specifically, she could tell that she was
on a bed of some sort. With very little clothing and several layers of sheets
draped over her. Her sense of smell was managing to alert her to the smell
of alcohol and magic in the air, both of the healing variety.
"She's waking up!"
"Close the curtains a little so she's not blinded."
"Bring some clothing."
Her body was also telling her that it was in an
incredible amount of pain at the moment. The only thing keeping her from
actually making any noise was the fact that her mouth and throat were both
too dry to make any sounds. While a healing spell was excellent for repairing
injuries, the human variety was poor at reducing the pain.
But she had some magic to work with now. Not much,
but enough.
*Asura*
The reply was almost immediate. *Ambassador? You
are awake again?*
*I'm awake and in pain. A lot of pain.*
*Are you strong enough?*
*Come over.*
A few exclamations and invocations of protective
deities registered to her ears as the Queen of the Summoned Monsters made
an impromptu appearance in the middle of the room, in all her undisguised,
six-armed, three-faced glory.
*And tell me where I am right now,* Rydia added
as an afterthought.
"This is Mysidia," one the heads replied, even as
another was beginning a healing spell.
"Bring her food and water," the third face ordered,
facing several of the white mages still in the room. "She needs to regain
her strength."
Rydia breathed a sigh of relief as the healing magic
washed over her body, taking away the majority of the pain with it. Human
white magic was all very well, but it still paled in comparison to healing
magic backed by Asura's countless millennia of experience.
"You are still weak, Ambassador," Asura stated.
"I will take my leave for now."
Rydia was in no state to deny the truth of the
statement, merely managing a nod before releasing the summon spell.
When a group of healers are suddenly seen running
down the hallway, heading away from a room where a injured person is known
to be residing, it's only natural for people to take notice. When the injured
person is an acquaintance, it's only natural to take it as a cause for concern.
It went without saying therefore, that the combined
group of Cecil, Rosa, and Edge were rushing into Rydia's room only moments
later.
The remaining healer took their entry with a
considerable amount of grace. "She's... awakened."
They glanced over at the sleeping form of Rydia.
"She appears to have summoned... something to finish
healing her," the healer elaborated, a slightly spooked look on his face.
"With a considerable excess of... arms and faces..."
"Asura," Rosa agreed, recognizing the description
well enough. It was interesting what you could learn to overlook after travelling
with a summoner long enough. "How is Rydia?"
"She seems quite fine now. Her injuries seem fully
healed, and we are bringing food and drink for her to regain her strength.
She is simply exhausted now, but the drink should revive her easily enough."
"Doesn't she need more rest?" Edge inquired.
"Her body will be drained," Rosa answered, "but
I imagine Mysidia's elixirs will let her put off sleeping for a time." If
there was a hint of steel in her voice, both Edge and Cecil picked up on
it immediately, as well as the unspoken implications. Details regarding the
business between Rydia and Kain were going to be forthcoming, and they weren't
going to wait another day.
Two other healers entered the room, one carrying
a tray of soft foods, the other carrying a pitcher of drink.
Filling a glass with the liquid, one of the healers
carefully eased small amounts of it into Rydia's mouth, letting her swallow
by reflex. After several repetitions, it appeared to take some effect, as
her eyes slowly opened, wincing slightly in the sudden light.
"Drink what you can," the healer invited. "You'll
feel better before long."
True to predictions, it was only a matter of minutes
before Rydia was able to push aside the bottle, using her arms to try and
sit herself up. Easing in, Rosa assisted her, mindfully wrapping the blanket
around her in the process. Turning to look at the Mysidian healers, "Thank-you
for your help. If you don't mind, I can assist her from here on."
To their credit, the healers were experienced enough
to be aware that Baron's queen was talented in areas that weren't normally
ascribed to royalty. Nodding curtly, "Please let us know if there are any
complications."
By the time the door had closed behind the two healers,
Rydia's senses had come into enough focus to identify the three remaining
individuals in the room, particularly the one next to her. "Rosa?"
"Mysidia contacted us after you were brought back
here," Rosa agreed.
"Cecil? Edge?"
Both men nodded, standing back a respectful distance.
"We were worried that wouldn't make it," Cecil ventured.
"You were looking pretty bad when I found you,"
Edge seconded.
Aside from a slowly fading headache, a few moments
consideration was enough for Rydia to make her own conclusions about her
situation. "I'll be alright. Where are my clothes?"
"They are in no state to be worn," Rosa replied,
"and I don't believe the most talented seamstress could hope to change that.
We can see to procuring some clothing for you at a later time, but you need
to rest for the moment."
The statement served to produce a suitably displeased
scowl. "I'm fine now, Rosa."
"I beg to differ, Rydia. You were only a few steps
away from death, and even Mysidia was unable to heal you. You're fortunate
that I've had the chance to learn what casting the Meteo spell does to a
person. And even more fortunate that I was able to compensate for that and
get you healed properly."
Regardless of her state, Rydia knew enough not to
try and debate the science of healing with Rosa. Especially considering that
she'd all but abandoned her own studies by the time she'd turned ten years
old. "Thank-you, Rosa. But I can't afford to sit around right now. I have-"
"-people to talk to?" Rosa finished. "We've heard
as much. And since you seem to have talked with Kain already, we thought
that you might like to talk with my husband as well."
For any other person, the level of warning in the
queen's tone of voice would have been enough to trigger a self-preservation
alarm of some sort. Rydia ignored it. "I'll talk with Cecil after I've finished
with Kain."
Cecil took several rapid steps forward. "Kain's
still alive?!?"
"Sheesh, lucky guy," Edge agreed, more than a little
surprised himself. He'd seen Mt. Ordeals afterwards, and could truthfully
say that Rydia was lucky to have survived, never mind the original target
of the spell.
"Not for long," she muttered.
"Rydia-" Rosa began sharply.
The queen almost recoiled when Rydia finally lifted
her head to face her. She could have expected a wide variety of responses
from someone who is starving, thirsty, low on blood, low on magical reserves,
and still recovering from extremely near-fatal injuries. Anger wasn't one
of them. Not the type that could literally manifest as a visible aura around
the person. "What?"
"We were worried about you," Cecil interrupted.
"And Rosa is right. If Edge hadn't been there, you probably wouldn't be alive
right now. As I understand this business, you're going to have to talk with
me sooner or later. Is it really too much to ask that you stay a day?"
Rydia opened her mouth to inform him otherwise,
but Leviathan's voice silently interrupted her. *Ambassador. Do not be hasty.
It would be advantageous for you to rest a short time before concluding matters
with the Dragoon. And this is an opportunity for you to learn what he was
not willing to tell you before.*
She exhaled noisily. "Fine. One day."
Cecil briefly glanced toward Rosa, indicating to
her that he wasn't inclined to press matters. Not yet. "We can head back
to Baron," he agreed. "You can use a guest room and get some rest. Once you're
better rested, we can talk."
It was several hours later that found Rosa in her
own bed, staring upwards at the canopy between herself and the ceiling. Being
queen left very little time for keeping her own magic skills practised, which
meant that saving Rydia had drained her far more than she would have liked.
Which was just as well, she guessed. Had she possessed all her strength and
mental clarity, she wasn't sure that she could have forced herself to handle
recent developments with anything that remotely resembled good judgement.
The quiet turning of the door latch managed to get
her attention. "Cecil?"
"How are you feeling?" he inquired quietly, closing
the door behind him.
"I'm fine," she lied. "I'm just... tired."
Her husband sat down at the edge of the bed. "I
finished the remainder of the business for today. Get some rest, and we'll
handle this tomorrow."
"Rydia?"
"She's asleep in the guest room. She'll sleep for
awhile, I think. She's probably been running on adrenaline up to now."
Rosa shifted atop the blankets, forcing herself
to sit up. "Oh gods, Cecil... did you see her?"
A nod. "She's angry."
"No, she's angry at Edge. On a regular basis, I
might add. Right now, she's absolutely furious. Didn't you see her before?
She only just agreed to wait, and I don't think it was her idea."
Cecil nodded. It had been rather strange to learn
that when Rydia heard voices in her head, they were real ones. Especially
since she would occasionally reply out loud. And those 'voices' belonged
to some extremely powerful monsters who she could invite across when occasion
warranted. "Whatever this business is about, it's probably received the blessing
of her... people. I don't know what to think about that."
"I think she was ready to walk all the way back
to Mt. Ordeals, clothing or not. And cast Meteo again, I imagine. Cecil,
she wants to kill Kain. Kill him."
Cecil closed his eyes. "I know. And knowing Kain,
he'll return the favour."
Rosa unconsciously mirrored the gesture. "That's
a little harsh, isn't it?"
"I think Kain would agree with me. It doesn't make
him heartless... just better able to do his duty. I remember him once telling
me that sometimes neither side is right, so all you can do is grit your teeth
and get the job done."
"I suppose I can picture him saying something like
that."
"He's not guilty, Rosa."
"Neither are you, Cecil."
The king slumped. "If I thought there was any way
to undo that... if I could somehow trade places with all those people...
I'd do it in a heartbeat. If I'd only faced myself sooner and realized what
I was doing... it never would have happened. None of it."
"You know better than to go down that path."
"I know. But I have to. That's what this business
is about, and it needs to be resolved. Before anyone else dies from this."
"We'll talk with her tomorrow. She'll listen to
us, Cecil."
"I hope so."
The aftereffects of healing magic was something
that tended to play tricks with people's mind, especially if they were new
to the experience. Whether the injury was a simple scratch, or the greater
fraction of a disembowelment, the body tended to remember the injury longer
than the person did.
In Rydia's case, despite considerable experience
with the aforementioned magic, she woke up to her body's insistence that
it was dehydrated, suffering from extreme blood loss, and operating with
a dozen broken bones. After several unpleasant moments of attempted retching,
her mind managed to reassert itself, reminding her that the injuries had
been healed the previous day.
Propping herself up on her elbows, and forcing her
eyes open, she glanced at the tangle of limbs and bedsheets that she was
in. Just like every single other time she slept on a surface softer than
the ground. In a way, it was somehow reassuring.
*Ambassador*
The events of the past day immediately slammed into
focus. "Leviathan," Rydia responded. "Are you... alright?"
*I have fully recovered. What is your condition?*
"I'll... be fine after a bath," Rydia decided, heading
into the appropriate room. One thing was for certain, a guest at Baron was
left wanting for nothing, including a personal bathing tub. It the type of
environment that normally put her at unease, but the aches in her body were
presently insisting that she make an exception for the moment. So she did.
*As I stated earlier* Leviathan's voice continued,
*this would be an ideal chance to learn things that the Dragoon was unwilling
to answer.*
"I don't know what you're talking about," Rydia
muttered, "he's a bastard who's going to die when I see him next. If he thinks
this world would be better off without the Summoned Monsters, then he's going
to deal with me."
*Do not be hasty in your judgement, Ambassador.*
"And would you quit it with the stupid 'ambassador'
bit? I told all you where you can stick that title. I'm the same Rydia that
I was a few days ago! The same Rydia that I've been for my entire life!"
There was a brief silence. Then, *Yes, you are.*
"And what is that supposed to mean?"
More silence.
"Leviathan."
Still more silence.
Exhaling noisily, Rydia gave up and directed the
bulk of her attention towards the task of bathing. Her rapidly plummeting
mood refused to let her enjoy the luxury, regulating the experience to a
rapidly-executed chore.
A short distance off, some clothing hung from hooks
on the wall, clearly put there by someone who knew she would be looking for
something presentable to wear. White silk with feathery gold trim. Soft-soled
velvet shoes. An emerald-green sash. Somehow, they managed to have 'Ambassador'
practically engraved all over them.
Rydia scowled, proceeding to deliberately ignore
them. 'Ambassador Rydia' could go to hell, she decided. 'Summoner Rydia'
had a job to do.
"Arachne," she snapped, climbing from the tub and
beginning to towel herself off. "Come on over."
A brief movement of air, a thread of magic, and
an eight-foot tall woman with the lower torso of a spider occupied a large
portion of the room. "Ambass-"
"I need clothing," Rydia interrupted. Seeing the
curious glance towards the provided clothing, she elaborated. "Real
clothing."
Fifteen minutes later, Rydia emerged from her quarters,
clad in an outfit identical to the one she normally wore, and feeling immensely
happy about it. It perhaps erred on the revealing side, but several thousand
years of summoners couldn't possible be all wrong.
The legs had a shine to shame silk, and a durability
to shrug off a walk through a forest of briars. The top looked to possess
both an elastic nature and the thickness of a tissue, although a dagger would
be lucky to pierce a tenth of the way through. The cloak was descended from
the times when a summoner couldn't always manage to evade a blast of fire
or lightning. When you stepped on nails with these boots, the nails
bent.
Best of all, despite its robust qualifications,
the outfit was also extremely comfortable. When you were a summoner, there
was no need to bother with the shortcomings and compromises of human-made
clothing.
Regardless, now it was time to get down to business.
And the first order of business was to leave and go find Kain again... a
particular scent on the air was enough to give her pause. It was coming from
a nearby doorway, and she hadn't smelt it in quite a while... perhaps she
could afford a short delay.
An approaching guard was quickly flagged down. His
armour marked him as a Dragoon, if the chest crest and the spear were any
indication. He gave her a brief inspection, but his gaze indicated that her
gender was the least of his concerns.
"Yes, I'm a summoner," Rydia confirmed, noting the
lack of surprise on his face. "What's in that room?"
"That is the Dragoon quarters," he replied shortly,
turning to enter it himself.
Rydia followed him, giving the doorway a cursory
glance. "Good, I have some questions for you."
"Sorry, we're busy. And this room is warded."
Rydia continued to follow him in. "Yes, I noticed.
Didn't anyone ever tell you that Desree's Sigil doesn't do anything to summoners?
It was proven to be a hoax several centuries ago."
The Dragoon, as well as a considerable number inside
the room, finally realized that she'd walked through the engraved doorway
without coming to any harm.
"It's a glorified air freshener," Rydia elaborated,
noting that she'd already gotten the undivided attention of the other dozen
occupants in the room. She gave them a thoroughly insincere smile. "Isn't
that interesting to know?"
"Rydia, isn't it?" one of the older Dragoon's inquired.
"We don't take much stock in 'Ambassadors' around here."
"Neither do I," she snapped, noting irritably that
news travelled far too fast for her liking. "I've got some questions to ask
you. And the faster you answer them, the faster I get back to dealing with
what's left of your leader. For starters, you don't like summoners much if
you'll try to ward off your quarters against them. I'd love to know
why."
The same Dragoon that had recognized her by name
answered again. "Because our leader doesn't like them. And because he taught
us how to kill them. You're lucky the king's given orders to fully cooperate
with your questioning."
"Has he? Then why don't you tell me where Kain gets
off planning to kill summoners?"
The man smiled. "Because he doesn't like summoners,
girl. And if he doesn't like them, that's good enough for us. It's nothing
personal, of course. But that's your answer."
"And you never even thought to ask him why?"
"If leaders went around explaining every single
decision, girl, no one would ever get anything done. And Kain's earned the
right to give an order without getting questioned over it."
"Sitting up on a mountain like some crazy old hermit?
If that's what earns your respect-"
"-Let me tell you something, girl," he growled,
now standing up. "You remember a fun little war a year ago, because some
bastard took over Baron's throne? There was even a bit of a campfire
over in Mist Village, I hear."
Rydia resisted a brief urge to turn the man into
a smaller campfire. "I was there, if you were looking for someone to confirm
that rumour."
"Because we wouldn't know about any of this," the
man continued, giving her a level look. "Because we weren't around to see
any of it. Because one day, Kain just told us all to go on a training journey
for a few months. He doesn't tell us where to go, but he says that he's going
to try and find us when he gets back from a little trip to Mist Village.
And if he finds us, we fail the
mission."
Rydia scowled. "Imagine that."
"We came back a few months later, and we found out
that there'd been a war while we were gone. And that the Red Wings had been
ordered to do some pretty shitty stuff. Funny how all the dragoons managed
to go missing before they could be given any orders, isn't it?"
"And I suppose you think he did that on purpose?"
The man laughed. "It doesn't sound like anyone else
was going to do anything. Your village sent a diplomat over a few times,
I know. Beats me how that guy could've thought we weren't a threat to the
rest of the world. We were expecting an attack by you and your monsters
any day, but it never came."
"Lucky you."
"None of the other kingdoms tried to stop us, either.
Everyone just sat around until it was too late. Who hid the experimental
new airship from the false king? Who made sure the dragoons weren't around
to get any orders from the false king? Who was it that took down the false
king? It was our own who did all that."
He leaned back in his seat, giving her a patronizing
look. "So you'll forgive us if we don't think you've got any business telling
us what to do."
Rydia turned towards the door. "Your leader'
told me that he didn't want the Summoned Monsters around. And he's going
to answer to that. I guess we'll have to see how willingly you follow your
leader' after he's dead."
Following her discussion' with some of the
Dragoons, Rydia made a beeline for Baron's throne room. Despite the fact
that she would have just as soon left for Mount Ordeals, she made a concession
to the part of her insisting that she deal with Cecil and Rosa first. It
wasn't as though anything was going to change, but she would tell them exactly
what was happening, and then leave as she had originally planned.
She was spared half her trouble upon spotting Rosa
up ahead. Looking out over one of the castle's turrets, Rydia idly noted
that the location had probably been picked because it would have been impossible
for her to leave her quarters without passing by this location. In other
words, Rosa had decided to make sure they talked before Rydia left
Baron.
Rydia sucked in a breath at that fact, but continued
forwards resolutely. It wasn't that she was angry with Rosa, despite their
present disagreement. Baron's queen was a hard person to stay angry with,
and Rydia had never learned how. After all, despite the extremely thorough
education she had received while being raised by the Summoned Monsters, there
were still a lot of areas they had missed. And it had been Rosa who
had taken it upon herself to teach Rydia those areas.
So perhaps it wasn't too surprising that Rydia had
unconsciously put Rosa up on a pedestal to mimic. Or at least, for Rydia
to try to mimic. Even after a year, Rydia was forced to admit that she still
had a long way to go.
When Rosa was introduced to an event, it was as
'The lovely queen of Baron', and every person present privately wondered
how the person could say such an understatement with a straight face. Rosa
wasn't 'lovely'. She was beautiful, gorgeous, divine, enchanting, elegant
and about a hundred other similar words. She had a grace of figure that most
women would have sold their souls for, yet she wore it without the slightest
hint of extravagance or arrogance. She had a smile that could both brighten
and soothe an entire room. She would talk with the noblest ruler or the meanest
beggar and happily give both her undivided attention, heartfelt sympathy,
and sincerest advice. Were she to walk into the middle of a battlefield,
both sides would probably stop and inquire if they could be of any service
to her.
And then there was herself. Rydia. Whom she privately
suspected was composed of everything left over after Rosa's creation. People
didn't use words like 'elegant' and 'gorgeous' to describe her. Behind her
back, they probably used words like 'lean', 'slender' and 'mind her grip
when you shake her hand'. They gave admiring smiles upon learning that she
could out-shoot a large portion of Baron's archers. They raised eyebrows
upon hearing that she was a decently talented at quarterstaff combat. And
they began to edge away when they found out that she knew how to use a battle
whip and could cleanly chop off inch-thick branches with it. As Edge had
once put it (through personal experience), when she slapped, she followed
through.
And Rosa wondered why she didn't attend many parties.
"Rydia," the queen greeted, a soft smile on her
face.
Having grown up in a place where non-verbal
communication could be expressed with eyes, ears, feet, wings, feathers,
claws, scales, skin colour and tail(s), Rydia generally found human mannerisms
easy to spot. And right now, despite her facial expression, Rosa was definitely
not happy.
"You needn't act cheerful on my account."
Rosa shook her head, but her smile didn't entirely
disappear. "Meteo, Rydia. Meteo."
"What about it?"
"I can remember when you first learned that spell
from FuSoYa. I don't think he actually believed you would ever manage to
pull it off, and you wouldn't even risk trying it until we faced down Zeromus.
And it came dangerously close to killing you in the process."
"What about it?" Rydia repeated.
"So you're telling me that Kain rates on the same
level as Zeromus? It's a spell of last resort, Rydia. You know that."
"It's the most powerful spell ever invented that
doesn't automatically kill the caster. I used it because he was dodging
everything else, and he hurt Leviathan."
Rosa exhaled. "You summoned Leviathan too?"
"Kain got a lucky shot in," Rydia replied stonily.
"And I underestimated the bastard."
"Listen to yourself, Rydia. You're talking about
the same man who you fought alongside only a year ago. And now you're trying
to kill him. Are you quite sure you're seeing this situation correctly?"
"Why don't you tell me why he told me that he thinks
he should have killed me back when he had the chance?"
That statement gave Rosa pause, but only for a moment.
"You're still alive now, Rydia. When Kain wants to kill something, he kills
it. I think you would have learned that about him."
"He took a flare spell point-blank without any armour
on. I think he had more important things to worry about. Right now, I'm ensuring
the future safety of the Summoned Monsters, and Kain told me to my face that
he was a danger. So I'm going to deal with that danger."
"I think you're reading this situation the wrong
way."
"Well, I think you haven't a clue what you're
talking about. I'm not some little kid who believes everything she's told,
you know. Not anymore."
"No," Rosa agreed, "you're not. You've grown up,
just like the rest of us."
That was enough to give a brief moment of pause.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Hmm... let me ask you a question. How old do you
think Cecil is?"
"Well..." In all honesty, Rydia wasn't quite sure.
She wanted to believe that being married to Rosa would limit the upward
possibilities. Cecil didn't seem like the type to rob the cradle, so to speak.
But on the other hand, she'd have a hard time finding another person she
admired more than him. His maturity and confidence were beyond what many
people would ever achieve over their entire lives. "Twenty-eight?" she ventured
cautiously.
Rosa laughed quietly. "Not quite. Would you believe
me if I told you that he's barely twenty-five?"
Rydia gave her a sceptical look.
"I'm quite honest. He seems older than he is, doesn't
he?"
A cautious nod.
"I've known him since he was only ten years old,
you know. He wasn't always so serious. Something of a joker, some of the
time. But he had to grow up fast. Especially once war broke out. There are
days when I can't believe that I'm married to the same man I was once engaged
to. He's twenty-five years old, going on one hundred."
"He had a lot to worry about."
"Kain was like that too, you know."
Rydia's face hardened. "Oh?"
"He and Cecil were practically cradle-mates. Kain
is only a few months younger than Cecil. Twenty-four years old, right now."
"That," Rydia stated, "I find hard to believe."
"I do too, sometimes. I still hope one day to get
a confession from him over who replaced my mascara with paint when I was
fifteen."
"You mean... Kain...?"
"He was like that, believe or not. Before he grew
up."
"I stand corrected," Rydia muttered. "That,
I find hard to believe."
"Really? I remember this little girl I knew. Quite
an industrious little child. Only six years old, and she was already better
at magic than some of my teachers. And she forever enjoyed making chocobo's
appear out of thin air. And she ate like a horse. And she had the worst table
manners I ever saw."
"I'll bet."
"And I can still remember this little girl running
to keep up with Cecil. I can still see her smiling and telling him to cheer
up, that everything was going to be okay. I can picture her curled up on
his lap, fast asleep..."
Rydia's face was burning red by this time. "T-that
was fifteen years ago!" she protested.
"You seem to remember that quite well," Rosa observed,
unable to hide her smile. "So where did that little girl go?"
"She grew up."
"And that can't happen to anyone else?"
"That's all beside the point."
Rosa shrugged in a non-committal manner. "We all
change as we grow up. Do you remember those sessions you and I had when you
first rejoined us? The etiquette lessons? The no-cursing rules? The first
time Edge flirted with you and only expected a slap in return? You were quite
the spitfire when you returned."
"Well, excuse me if becoming a diplomat wasn't
exactly a high priority of mine. I couldn't help it if Ifrit taught a lot
of my language studies. And if I had to do it all over again, the only thing
I'd change would be to punch Edge harder."
Rydia gave Rosa fixed look. "And I don't see why
that's important now."
She sighed, but met the gaze nonetheless. "You and
Kain are a lot alike, you know."
"Excuse me!?!"
"You're both emotional."
Rydia opened her mouth to debate the point, but
finally settled for a "Kain? Emotional? You have got to be kidding
me."
"Not in the least. Kain's trained himself to ignore
his emotions, and he's trained himself well. But when you've known him as
long as I have, you learn what to look for."
"So?"
Rosa came to a stop, leaning back against one of
the courtyard walls. "I'm sure that you're aware that there are spells which
are capable of controlling people's minds."
Rydia nodded briefly, selecting one of the opposite
walls to rest against. "I've heard of such spells. Zeromus used one on Golbez.
I was there, you remember."
"And Golbez used one on Kain."
"So he claims."
"I do believe even Golbez admitted as much. Why
do you find that so hard to believe?"
"Why do you find it so easy to believe?"
"I'm sure that you're also aware that such spells
work best on individuals who are mentally unfocused. Individuals who are
emotionally unstable or confused, you might say."
"And now you're going to tell me that Kain fits
that description?"
"I'm not going to give you any details, Rydia. It's
between Cecil, Kain and myself. But the reason Kain left Baron was to deal
with it. He didn't believe that he was trustworthy enough to protect Baron."
"Well, I don't think he is either."
"Did you ever think that you might just as easily
have been the one who was controlled by Golbez?" Rosa inquired.
"That never would have worked on me. I know spells
of resistance to that sort of thing."
"But what if you didn't? You're a passionate person,
Rydia. You were that way when you were a child, and you still are now. Whether
you're happy or sad, it's obvious to anyone around. When you're joyful, you
practically light up the room you're in. And when you're angry... you're
a dangerous person to be around. A person like you is an ideal target for
such spells."
"The controlling is beside the point. Why don't
you try and think up an excuse for him saying that he thinks he should have
killed me a long time ago? He admitted himself that he wasn't under any sort
of mind control when my village was burned."
"But did he know about the fire bombs?"
"He thinks that he should have killed me back in
Mist. The Dragoons that I talked to said that he'd been training them
how to fight Callers! They didn't even seem to think it was a bad thing!
Explain all that!!!"
Rosa shook her head. "I don't know, Rydia. I was
just a White Mage at the time. I certainly never heard anything about a campaign
against the Village of Mist. I heard rumours that Mist Village might be attacking
us, and I know that the current ambassador at the time had several
meetings with the king. But nothing ever came of those rumours."
"I haven't heard anything to clear him, Rosa."
"Did you ever consider that Kain may have been trying
to divert the blame from Cecil?"
"How do you figure that?"
"If he was able to convince you that it was solely
his fault, that would leave Cecil innocent and in the clear. If you don't
believe so yourself, let me assure you that Kain and Cecil would do such
a thing for the other in a heartbeat."
"I don't have any proof of that."
"You haven't even tried asking yet."
"Kain wouldn't answer anything else."
"He was trying to make you angry. You don't fight
as well when you're angry. You can't think straight, and he knows how to
take advantage of that. Why do you think I was kidnapped? It threw Cecil
off balance, and let Golbez manipulate him into doing things. If you think
Kain became the leader of the Dragoons through chance-"
"I know how strong he is," Rydia interrupted, turning
away. "You're just looking for something to clear him. Maybe you just can't
accept that he's guilty and deserves what's coming to him! If he was trying
to make me angry, then he was obviously planning to fight in the first place."
Rosa sighed, watching the summoner stalk off towards
the throne room. There were times she could almost wish for older days. Almost.
They were days where the entire world was in mortal danger, but some people
seemed to need that type of world to function. People of few words and more
action, who had precious little to keep them focussed in a peaceful world.
As Cecil had once noted, one of the tricky things
about a war was getting the fighters to stop fighting afterwards.
But since taking up the king's mantle, her husband had devoted a considerable
amount of effort towards just that task. And all in all, he succeeding admirably.
Regrettably, it seemed as though they had failed
in respect to two people.
The throne room wasn't busy.
Even as she entered it, Rydia didn't believe for
a moment that it was merely convenient. Baron was the biggest kingdom in
the world, and the idea of its king not being busy was almost ludicrous.
If the throne room wasn't busy, it was because its king was either out, or
because he had given orders to bring about that state of events.
The king wasn't out.
"Ambassador," Cecil greeted, standing politely.
She hadn't thought it was possible, but Rydia now
found herself hating the title even more. "I haven't changed my name, you
know."
He nodded in agreement. "Rydia, then. Regardless,
I appreciate your taking the time to come here and talk."
Translation: Cecil hadn't expected her to bother
stopping by. Somehow, that irritated Rydia. "I won't keep you any longer
than necessary, don't worry."
"It's not a bother at all. But I do appreciate
your willingness to let me know exactly what has been going on. As Baron's
ruler, I don't like relying on second-hand information."
Cecil's voice was light, much like Rosa's had been.
And as before, it wasn't difficult for Rydia to pick out the tension behind
the comment. He was agitated, and part of him clearly didn't feel like being
diplomatic and reasonable.
"I was made Ambassador of the Summoned Monsters,"
Rydia informed him levelly. "And my first assignment was to completely conclude
the events surrounding the destruction of Mist Village. That includes seeing
justice done to the ones responsible, and the moving forwards afterwards."
Cecil nodded slowly. "That sounds rather open-ended,
I must admit."
"Part of my assignment was to determine exactly
how those things are to be done."
He exhaled slowly, working the information around in his thoughts.
"If I might be so bold... I imagine that you are presently dealing with the
first part of that assignment?"
"Mainly, yes."
"Mainly?"
"I can't get to work on moving forwards if I think
that someone is going to try and stop me."
"And Kain fits that description?"
"I suppose you're going to tell me that he meant
something else when he said that he thought the world would be better off
without the Summoned Monsters?"
Cecil paused again, submitted the information to
analysis, then choosing his words carefully. "What if... I told you that
I thought that Eblan would be better off abandoning the rebuilding of their
castle, instead relocating to existing towns? Because that could be construed
as quite offensive to a lot of them. I suppose that would give them
an excuse to declare war on Baron?"
"This isn't the same thing!"
Cecil finally permitted himself a small degree of
emotion. "It's exactly the same thing! The scale might be a little
different, but not by much. Can you imagine what would happen if I lost my
head every time another nation didn't agree with me? I have the power to
kill countless people with a single, rash command. Which is why I'm always,
always careful to approach a situation with a level head. It's not
about me, it's about Baron as a whole."
"And this isn't about me, it's about the Summoned
Monsters as a whole!"
"And is this what they would have you do?"
"They chose me to settle the issue. So I'm going
to settle it!"
"Then settle it right now," Cecil invited, spreading
his arms open. "Kill me."
Rydia recoiled slightly. "What sort of rubbish is
that?"
His arms remained outstretched. "If you believe
that Kain is guilty, than I'm guilty as well. So if you plan on killing him,
you'll have to kill me as well. But if it will satisfy the need for justice,
than I won't argue with you."
She took half a step backwards. "That's just plain
twisted! This is only between Kain and I, so why don't you just go back to
ruling Baron?"
"Kain is the chief of Baron's Dragoons," Cecil corrected
her. "You're trying to kill one of my most valued warriors. I don't believe
you're justified in doing so. Therefore we have an argument than needs to
be resolved at once."
*Ambassador*
Rydia bit her tongue to keep from snapping back
at Cecil. *What is it, Leviathan?*
*You and the king of Baron seem to be at an impasse.
Might I join you two?*
"Come on over," Rydia agreed, privately thankful
for the interruption.
If Cecil was about to ask for an explanation for
her brief silence, Leviathan's appearance next to Rydia provided an answer.
Despite the King of the Summoned Monsters' comparatively small human form,
Cecil's attention was immediately rivetted on the new arrival.
"Leviathan?" he acknowledged politely.
"Cecil, King of Baron, Paladin, and Warrior of Light."
"Just Cecil is quite fine. Have you followed our
conversation until now?"
Leviathan nodded. "The two of you seem to be at
an impasse."
"If you have any insights into this matter, I would
be happy to listen," Cecil invited.
"Indeed. The Daughter of Mist next to myself was
chosen to be our Ambassador. She has proven her loyalty to what we as a whole
believe, and she has done so under the most trying of conditions. But she
is still young, and her outlook reflects this fact."
Rydia's eyes narrowed, but she didn't reply right
away.
"But you are young as well," Leviathan continued,
"and your outlook reflects this fact as well."
"You find a portion of both our logics in error?"
Cecil interpreted.
"As you say. My Ambassador is perhaps too willing
to let her anger cloud her judgement. But by the same token, you are far
too willing to let your friendships cloud your own."
"Kain is a friend of mine," Cecil stated firmly.
"A very good friend. But that fact is irrelevant to this situation. I have
already stated that I believe that he is deserving of no more punishment
than I am myself. And I have every intention of seeing such a statement through."
"And such a statement would only be fulfilled through
suicide on your part," Leviathan stated. "To submit yourself to judgement
is to absolve yourself of the power to judge. And my Ambassador does not
believe you to be guilty. Therefore, in the eyes of the Summoned Monsters,
you are not guilty."
"She can't make that decision by herself! I was
there for everything! And I will tell you that Kain is not guilty."
When in human form, Leviathan didn't trifle himself
with facial expressions, but his voice clearly held a note of skepticism.
"Tell me, would you absolve two defendants merely on account of their
testimonies supporting each other? I think not."
Cecil swallowed, but held his ground. "Then... my
wife will testify."
"She was never present for the incident. Her account
is meaningless. The fact remains that the Dragoon made several statements
that clearly indicated a distaste for both my Ambassador and my kindred as
a whole. And he must be held accountable for them. And were you able to refute
those statements, I suspect that you would have done so by now."
"So my testimony is to be dismissed on the account
of my being a concerned party?" Cecil demanded. "And yours is still considered
valid? Despite being the accuser?"
"No, King of Baron, my testimony is as invalid as
yours. As is the opinion of every other Summoned Monster, since none of us
were even present for the event of concern. There were only three people
alive today who were present then, and you and the Dragoon are the defendants."
Cecil scowled. "And Rydia would be the third?"
"You do not trust her judgement on the matter? After
she fought alongside you against Zeromus? Do not be so arrogant as to presume
that you would have succeeded without her assistance. And do not be so heartless
as to believe that she was not as willing as you to sacrifice her own life
for the cause."
"I don't question that at all."
"Yet you doubt her still? What then, King of Baron,
is required to gain your trust? Will you still claim that your judgement
is not influenced?"
"Maybe I am biassed," Cecil granted reluctantly.
"I suppose that you, with your thousands of years of experience, can claim
otherwise?"
"On the contrary, King of Baron. Do you still not
understand my reason for appointing Rydia in my stead? I but gave her a simple
command: Conclude the events surrounding the destruction of Mist Village.
She was to ensure the future safety of our kind, then facilitate a recovery."
Leviathan fixed Cecil with a level gaze. "Do you
oppose such a goal?"
"Of course not."
"Then my ambassador has judged you correctly. Why
then, do you believe your friend to be in danger from her judgement?"
Cecil's face hardened. "I believe that Kain is as
innocent as myself. And I will state again that neither of us were aware
of the nature of the Bomb Ring we transported to Mist Village, until it was
too late. We indirectly killed Rydia's mother, but she attempted to forcibly
stop us from completing what was a royal mission, and did not offer us any
legitimate explanation beforehand. And I will state again that the destruction
of Mist Village was the intention of the false king of Baron, and had Kain
and I known, we never would have participated in such an act. To be exact,
we would have actively opposed it from the very beginning."
"Your statement has already been accepted as truth
for yourself," Leviathan agreed. "But the fact remains that you cannot speak
for your friend. As the Ambassador has already said, it is now between the
Dragoon and herself. Whether she judges rightly or wrongly, it is no longer
in our power to make orders of her. You and I can but observe and offer advice
when asked."
Rydia narrowed her eyes angrily. "Thanks for the
encouragement, Leviathan, Cecil. It's nice to know that you both have
so much faith in my abilities."
"I never stated that I believed you to be the perfect
choice," Leviathan replied evenly. "Only that I believed you to the best
choice."
"Well, just stuff it. I never asked for any of this
advice - from either of you. You can argue over your laws all you want. I'll
be busy doing my damned job like I was ordered to. And don't bothered waiting
for me to summon you this time." Wheeling about, she stalked towards the
door. "I'll finish this business myself!"
The door made a quiet clicking noise behind her.
Cecil glanced over at Leviathan, who's form was
slowly beginning to fade away now, courtesy of Rydia's departure. "You considered
her the best choice for this?"
"You doubt her."
"I think that she was probably perfectly happy until
you dredged up this business and forced her to deal with it. And I think
she that's blowing this entire matter right out of proportion, and that even
if you don't officially order her around, you're influencing her more than
either of you will admit. What do you say to that?"
"That may well be the case, but I would inquire
as to whether you, as a king, have ever been forced to convict a friend.
Because until you have, you are as naive on this matter as she is. Authority
exists to make decisions that lesser individuals either fear or are loathe
to make. And I much prefer humans to err on the side of cynicism, rather
than idealism."
"You have something against idealism?"
Leviathan had almost completely faded away by this
time. "It promotes blind faith. I am certain that you recall an incident
where a man, blindly trusting his king, wound up slaughtering an entire village."
"If I had known-"
"Had you not been so slow to question, you
would have known. Yet once again, you are slow to question the situation,
putting blind trust in those around you and ignoring the facts."
Despite straining to make out his opponent, Cecil
remained impassive. "That is your opinion."
"The world is not the benevolent place you wish
it to be, King of Baron. I am surprised that the trials in your battle against
darkness did not teach you this. Too many battles are won by evil, because
evil is rarely caught unawares. And if you, the Paladin, will not be on alert...
who will?"
As much as Rydia would have preferred to simply
employ a teleportation spell to leave the entire castle, she was still weaker
than she would have liked. But walking would suffice. The Serpent Road could
take her across to Mysidia, then she would travel by foot the rest of the
way. It would take longer, but it would let her recover much quicker.
Even if that meant a considerable walk. Her body
still ached somewhat, but she'd endured far worse while on the Moon. In lieu
of the state she'd been in only days ago, she wasn't about to complain. Just
the same, she would just as soon she not run into anyone significant on her
way out...
Abruptly, she halted in mid-step, refraining from
putting her foot down.
*tap*
Someone else's footstep. Looking around quickly,
Rydia scanned the empty hallway with suspicion. "Edge... I'm going burn out
this entire hallway out in five seconds, if you don't show yourself!!!"
"You're getting good," the ninja admitted with a
sigh, showing up behind her.
"This is none of your business, Edge! Get out of
here! And while you're at it, get the hell out of my life!" Rydia snapped.
"I don't need a damned stalker getting in my way!"
"Listen to yourself," Edge protested. "And some
people say that I don't control myself! You're swearing like a pirate,
still barely healed, and you're already planning fighting Kain again?"
On second thought, Rydia decided, she no longer
cared whether she was strong enough to manage a teleportation spell. A
short-range one would be just fine... "Then I don't need to explain anything.
Goodbye."
This time, Edge was fast enough. Lunging forwards,
he tackled Rydia to the floor before she could complete the spell.
"Oh-no-you-don't!"
Rydia shook her head to clear the daze. "Edge..."
she growled through clenched teeth. "If you don't move your hand, I'm going
to teleport out of here and only half of you is going to come with
me!"
"Wha-? Oops..." Edge hastily relocated his one hand
to a less compromising location. He did not, however, release his grip on
her. "I'm not going to let go until you swear you'll let me go with you this
time!"
"The hell I will! You're going to let go before
I make you let go!"
"If you think I'm going to just stand by and let
you get yourself killed, you've got another thing coming! You're not even
thinking clearly!"
"Did I ask for your opinion?" Twisting, Rydia
managed to aim an elbow into Edge's gut, pushing him back for a moment. Gesturing
quickly, she threw several small lightning bolts that loosed chips of stone
from the floor. "Don't make me aim at you!"
Edge skipped back quickly enough. "See, Rydia-baby?
You've completely lost your head over this whole business! All I'm asking
is for you to calm down and think things over. I'm not going to stop you,
I just wanna help you out. Is that too much to ask?"
"You disgust me, Edge!" she snapped, fists clenched.
"Read. my. lips. DISGUST!"
"Isn't that a little harsh?"
"It's too weak a word! Do you have any idea
how pathetic you are!?" Rydia followed him, actually forcing him against
the wall. "I would KILL to be in your position! Your people are alive!
Do you understand? Mine aren't!"
Edge swallowed. "Now wait a minute-"
"Look at your people back in Eblan!" she
yelled. "They're living in caves, they barely have enough food to survive,
and you're out tramping around the world like an idiot! If I had people like
you do, I'd be doing everything in my power to help them! Everything and
anything!!!"
"But-"
"But you're a lazy, miserable, useless, stuck-up,
pathetic excuse for a prince!" Rydia interrupted. "I don't know why your
people even put up with you, because I sure as hell wouldn't! You
should be running back home and begging them to forgive you for being
such a complete jackass! And then begging them to let you do anything
to help them!"
"My real people are dead now," Rydia repeated, calming
slightly. "The Summoned Monsters are my people now. They've been my people
for the last fifteen years. And I'm going to do whatever I have to do to
protect them. No matter what."
A hand imposed itself between the two of them, the
attached arm leading back to a solemn-looking Rosa. "Ambassador. Rydia. Unless
you have any further business in Baron, perhaps you should be on your way?"
Edge's eyes darted over to stare at her. "Rosa-you
can't be-"
"To be perfectly blunt, Edgar," the queen
interrupted, "while your assistance in rescuing Rydia was most appreciated,
I don't recall this business concerning Eblan in any fashion."
"What she said," Rydia agreed, turning to leave.
"You're going to get yourself killed over this!"
he finally snapped at her.
She gave Edge one last glare, before stalking off
towards the castle's exit. "Better to die for this than live the way you
do."
Rosa sighed, turning to leave. "Edge... I'm not
happy about what she's doing. I'm not happy at all. But you may want to consider
what she just said. Because, if I hadn't heard her myself, I'd be doing
everything in my power to stop her."