Redemption Chapter 6
By Katie Herdman
Ria stepped towards Squall. “Is done,” she asked, “do they all know of you.” Now her plans could start and come together.
“Not yet,” Squall said, “but they will all soon know.”
**********
“Sati,” Andria cried out. She stood on the plains, waiting for her friend to come. “She will not come,” said a stranger from behind her.
Andria looked closer at the odd woman, her dark blonde hair hung down, black eyes peered out at her, Andria was afraid of those eyes, there was something lost and inhuman about them.
“What are you saying,” she asked.
“I’m saying,” said the woman impatiently, “that she is dead and gone.”
Andria thought for a second, “you’re a liar. Now who are you?”
The woman smiled slyly, “Haven’t you ever heard of me, I am the hated one, the deserter. I have been persecuted by both yours, Rinoa’s and your friends kind.”
Andria remembered the story. There was a tale of a sorceress who had became a witch, she became hated by her coven because they were jealous of her. Eventually they had driven her out and she had to hide. However a mob of angry people had found her and hung her and her daughter.
“You’re Tarina,” gasped Andria in amazement, “but you should have died hundreds of years ago.”
“My spirit was too angry to leave, I have waited a long time, but now I will find revenge for the torment that your people caused me.”
“What about Squall, why do you need him.”
Ria smiled again, “I need a knight and I need children for when this body dies, don’t I, since you will all be dead. Figure it out.”
“I’ll die before I let that happen,” said Andria forcefully.
“That’s the idea,” said Ria and left.
**********
Seifer landed the transport ship gently on the ground; it was his best landing yet.
“So,” he said turning to Fujin, “we meet them on the Garden right.”
Fujin nodded and then flicked a switch. The door of the ship opened and everyone climbed out.
“Well done Seifer,” said Ling, “that’s gotta be your first actual landing.”
Seifer gave her an evil look, “well I’m a better pilot than you.”
“Where did you get an idea like that,” Vincent said.
From the shadows a figure hidden watched them leave the ship.
**********
“I can’t find her,” said Irvine, “she’s nowhere in the Garden.”
Zell then rushed up the Quistis, “Seifer’s just arrived in Garden, he’s looking for you.”
“Wrong, found,” said Seifer, “is there a problem.”
“Yes,” said Quistis, “we can’t find Andria, she’s been missing for quite a while.”
Selphie then turned up and shook her head; no one else has seen her.
“I think I know where she is,” said Vincent finally. Seifer and Quistis looked questionably at him.
“How,” asked Quistis. “Well, if her madness is about Squall, which it will be, then there’s only one place she can go.”
Seifer and Quistis looked at one another as the realisation dawned on them. In the distance they could hear the transporter ship roar to life.
**********
The sound of the waves was soothing to Andria’s torment. There was a tight pain in her chest, which could no longer be filled. The pain felt good for Andria, she felt like she deserved it for the hurt she had caused everyone.
Sitting down on the concrete ground, Andria leaned against the wall and thought of the memories that were hidden in the ancient stone.
“Why did you come here,” asked Rinoa, walking towards her.
“Unexpected, that they sent you, or maybe that you came,” Andria said sarcastically.
Rinoa knelt down, a metre away from her. “I won’t pretend that I like you at all, in fact Andria, I hate you more than I’ve hated anyone before, but if you can bring Squall back, and then never come near us again, I might consider you my friend one day.”
“Doesn’t seem like a good deal,” Andria said, “I wouldn’t get anything out of it.”
Rinoa shrugged her shoulders.
“What about Jake, won’t Squall want to see his son.” Andria looked expectantly at Rinoa, who just shook her head; she didn’t feel like talking about that now.
“Can you save him,” Rinoa asked finally.
Andria shook her head, “There isn’t much hope at all… I don’t know if I can.”
“Can you try?”
“Yes, I can.”
**********
“Kiros is that you,” called out Laguna. Someone was outside the door, standing there.
Laguna slowly walked closer to the door and as quietly as he could, he grabbed the handle and yanked the door open suddenly.
There was no one there. Breathing a sigh of relief, Laguna closed the door.
Going back to his desk, he sat down and after a few minutes fell asleep.
**********
Laguna slowly opened his eyes, he tried to bring his hand to his temple, but it wouldn’t move.
“What the…”
“Shhh father,” Squall whispered, stepping from the darkness.
Laguna looked up at his son in horror, it was true then, he was evil. He tried to move again, but his muscles wouldn’t co-operate with him; he was paralysed.
“What have you done to me,” he asked hesitantly, afraid to know the answer at the same time.
Squall smiled slyly, “Maybe I should ask what you have done to me. How you hid my old lover and child away here, like I wouldn’t want to know.”
“You are not my son, stop pretending that you are,” yelled Laguna desperately, the corners of his eyes wet with the bitterness of his tears.
“I am your son,” Squall shouted back, “he is in here with me, I can fell his pain and his sorrow from what you did to him, and are still doing today.”
Squall walked around Laguna’s desk and stood in front of his father, the one he hated most.
His voice then changed, “your son is here within this shell, but you will never see or speak to him again.”
**********
Vincent silently walked over to Andria’s sleeping form. Slowly he bent over, her head rested on a book of spells.
“Andria,” he whispered, shaking her shoulders. Andria’s eyes flew open and she quickly jumped up.
“What’s happening?”
“Nothing,” he answered, “I wanted to ask you, about Squall.”
Andria nodded, motioned for him to sit down and closed her book.
Vincent hesitated for a moment, then spoke, “What did you tell Rinoa, about Squall’s possession?”
“Why do you ask,” Andria said.
“It’s just because she said, that you said, that you would save him.”
She shook her head, “I didn’t say that, I said that I would try.”
Vincent shook his head, “Andria, you know he can’t be saved, why try, you’re only gonna hurt yourself, and Rinoa by lying to her.”
“Well what can I do,” Andria shouted, exploding with anger, “tell her the truth, it would destroy her.”
Andria slumped back in her chair. “It’s hopeless,” she muttered, “any way everyone get’s hurt.”
They both sat there silently for a moment, the tension ebbing away until it dissolved.
“I’m tired of fighting, Vincent,” she said finally, “all I ever wanted was Squall, and look what happened.”
“You know you have to kill him, there isn’t any other way,” said Vincent.
“I know,” she whispered.
Hidden behind the bookshelves, Seifer listened intently.
**********
“Where’s Andria,” Zell said, rushing into the cafeteria. Irvine shook his head then continued with the triple triad game he was playing with Quistis.
“I think I saw her in the library,” Quistis said taking Irvine’s Alexander card.
“Dammit,” said Irvine and folded his arms, he’d lost again.
**********
“Andria, Laguna’s been attacked,” said Zell, running up to them. Andria and Vincent stared at him, the information sinking in.
“Come on,” cried Zell, “we have to get to Esthar.”
**********
Dr Odine stepped out of the door and walked across to the window.
Staring out onto the plains, he wondered how many of his failed experiments were out there now, how many she had taken control of.
“How is he,” asked Ling.
“He’s stable, but I don’t know how to treat him. I don’t even know how he got like zat.”
Odine sighed, what had happened to Laguna was strange; he had become completely unresponsive, almost as if he had given up the will to live.
“Andria and Seifer are landing now,” said Ling, “I’ll go meet them.”
**********
Andria held Laguna’s hand and stroked his face. “What happened to him?”
“We found him like that, in his office. He was just sitting on his chair, we thought he was dead,” muttered Ling.
“It was Squall,” said Andria, “I know it, he was here.”
Ling sat down beside her. “Why was he here,” she asked.
“Something’s gonna happen, I know it,” whispered back Andria.