This is about a very controversial relationship! If you dun like those, dun read it! The characters are copyright to SquareSoft and the song is copyright to Dido. ^_^ Enjoy, pwease!
My Lover's Gone
Four years had gone by, now, four years since the ruby moon had orbited the world one last time and then had slid away into the cloud cover of the horizon, never to be seen again. Four years, years where the destruction of peace and happiness caused by a certain, over-zealous Lunarian, had been slowly reverted to harmony and tranquility.
Those four years had seen their share of disputes and unrest, but that too had given way to peace and joy. The years had given birth to a new start where the four monarchies of the known world joined together peacefully, living at peace and trading freely with one another, despite some underlying tensions. Everyone benefited mutually, and everyone shared the tranquility.
The newfound peace had even bred love.
They had been married quite recently and, since they both found a deep longing for the outdoors, they ended up staying in a small cottage on an uninhabited island an hour's boat ride from Agart. She didn't want to be too far away from those who raised her and, from here, it was a boat trip to Agart, then a chocobo ride down to the Land of Summoned Monsters. He had nowhere to lay his claim, as he had disowned himself from the land he once called home in an endless stream of self-guilt. So the location was ideal for both the isolation they desired and the sense that help was just a boat-ride away, if it were so needed.
They would often sit together in the dying warmth of the nighttime air, huddling together and sharing their warmth. Enjoying the ocean around them and the sunset reflecting through the rippling waters proved to be a perfect opportunity for discussion. It was here that they talked of many things. She told him of the sea monster that had taken her to what she now considered her home; he told her of how things were before, before Golbez came and destroyed what life and friendship he'd had. One night, they even fell asleep out there, in the light of the single moon, of the dancing diamond stars. They both took ill the next day and had to spend the rest of the week indoors.
Things were changing. She could see a change in him; in his bright blue eyes, there was a spark of true happiness. He smiled at her more, not the fake smile he used to give her, when things were not okay but he wanted her to think they were, but a smile that was genuine, a grin that she had not seen on him before, ever. And it made her smile, too.
"Kain, aren't you up yet?" Rydia yelled into the bedroom. "Your breakfast is getting cold!"
The man in the bed grunted tiredly and rolled over, pulling the blankets over his head. As far as he was concerned, he didn't need breakfast if it meant stealing his warm blanket and comfortable recline.
But there was something else to steal that, the blanket anyway. Namely, his wife, who was definitely--unlike him--a morning person. Soon, he found himself blanketless and very unhappy about it. "Hey, what's the big idea here?" he grumbled, sitting up and trying unsuccessfully to steal back the blanket.
She batted at him. "You know what the big idea is! Its the same idea it is every morning!" she scolded mockingly. "You complain about my cooking, but that's because you're never there when it's warm!"
"All right, all right!" he cried defensively, yawning and stretching. He stood up slowly and slipped into his bathrobe, then made his way into the kitchen area of the cabin. Upon his arrival, he slipped his arms around his young wife's slender waist and kissed her lightly on the top of her head.
"Oh, sure," she grumbled accusingly, "now you're all lovey-dovey, but when you're in bed and I steal your blanket, you hate me!"
He feigned horror. "Never!" he protested. "But, really...you know I'll always love you," he added, his voice serious. He found himself assuring her of this alot, like he was afraid she didn't know. He was almost afraid to let her go, lest this new-found peace were to evade him once again.
She, of course, sensed this. She turned, still in his arms, so that she was facing him, and slid her arms around his neck, brushing back his long, golden hair. "I know, Kain. And the same goes for you...even if you do snore," she added playfully, looking up at him with that endearing grin he loved so much about her. But suddenly she pulled away, ducking under his embrace and pushing him lightly toward the table. "Sit down, and eat, before you starve to death, marveling at my beauty," she admonished playfully. "I already ate 'cause I got sick of waiting for you."
Kain meekly sat down at the makeshift table, where his breakfast was waiting. It was cold, and Rydia wasn't the greatest cook in the world, but he didn't mind. All that mattered to him was that sense of peace he found whenever he was with Rydia.
"We'll have to head to Agart soon," she was saying, "otherwise we'll probably starve to death. I have a couple new rugs to sell, so we can probably get enough food to last for a week or so." Agart wasn't a big tourist town, or very big, for that matter, but Rydia's hand woven items were very popular among the denizens. They also would simply trade food for the rugs and such, which made bartering easier, since the town was fond of the couple and would often throw in something extra with the promise that Rydia would carpet their entire home some day.
"Right, you're finished with that one you were working on yesterday?" Kain asked. He glanced out the window; the seas seemed calm enough to make the short travel. "Looks like a good day for sailing, let's go today," he replied to her affirmative nod.
Within an hour, the two of them had loaded up their small boat with the rugs she had made and the fish that he had caught the night before. Neither of them was entirely too fond of fish, so they often sold whatever he managed to catch as well. He had been right; the seas were perfect for a boat ride, and soon, they banked on the shore of the island that held Agart.
It was a short walk to the town. But, the moment they entered the town, it was obvious something was wrong. Instead of the normal, midday hustle and bustle of the marketplace, the streets were strangely quiet, and anyone who was actually in the road was hushed and looking anxious. Kain, carrying the rugs in one hand and holding Rydia's in his other, looked about, noting the strange behavior immediately. He set down the rugs and had Rydia watch them while he approached a woman who was a regular customer of theirs.
"Shandri?" he implored. "What's going on? Where is everyone?"
The woman had been seated on her porch swing, swinging nervously and looking about with a sense of sadness in her soft, dark eyes. "Oh...Kain," she said when she saw him. "No, I suppose you wouldn't have heard. Well, you're not a citizen of Agart, so why would you have? There's a war...all the men are being drafted...even my husband." Shandri looked as if she were about to cry. "I'm sorry, I can't buy your rugs today. We have a treaty with Toroia, so all the men....the economy is going down."
"What?!" That was the only thing Kain could think of to say. He paused for a long moment, staring at Shandri. "A war?! Between Toroia...and who?" Who would invade Toroia?
"Baron," she replied.
Kain blinked, unbelieving. "Baron invaded Toroia?" he asked confusedly. What the hell was Cecil thinking?
"No...Toroia invaded Baron."
And that made even less sense. Baron had the strongest army in the world, and no one with half a brain in their head would invade them. Baron owned the biggest, fastest, and only fleet of airships in the world. They could take anyone, just about. "What the hell are they thinking?!" he demanded, fuming. Baron was his home country, and, although he no longer associated himself with it, it was still the country his best friend ruled.
"No, no...Toroia has the advantage. I guess they sent in spies and rigged all the airships. Half of Baron's army has already fallen, just in that," the woman explained. "I don't care who wins, I just want Jaime home soon...."
Kain felt positively faint. Half of Baron's army.... In a daze, he thanked Shandri and headed back to where Rydia was waiting for him, demanding to know what was going on. "We may as well head back," he heard himself say. "No one's going to be buying anything for a while that they don't need."
"Kain, what's going on? You look positively ill!" Rydia grabbed his arm. "Tell me, Kain! What's wrong?"
"Toroia invaded Baron. And they're winning." The words sounded stale and surreal. They seemed to stick in his throat and then hang in the air. Even the wind stopped and time seemed to stand still. What was going on?
They were silent until they reached the boat, and then all the question that his mind demanded to know spilled from her lips, jumbled together. She was as shocked as he was. "But...but why?! That doesn't make any sense, Cecil has treaties with Yang and Edge and Edward...." She paused. "What are they after? How the hell are they winning? This doesn't make any sense!"
"I don't know." The words were empty and hollow. "I guess some Toroian spies rigged the airships and that took care of half the army right there. Toroia has a treaty with Agart because they're so close. All the men have been shipped out of here and none of the women are buying anything. As for the treaties with Fabul, Eblan, and Damcyan, well, none of them are going to want to get involved. Damcyan and Eblan still don't have much in the way of an army, and Fabul is quite far away to be called on for reinforcements. Besides, they're fighters are still quite young and inexperienced."
The rest of the boat ride ensued in a deafening silence. There was nothing to be said. The only sound was the gentle lapping of the water at the side of their small boat as they reached the shore of the small island. Rydia did not miss the look of longing in her husband's eyes, though. "You want to go there, to help them," she said simply.
"I do," he admitted. "But what good could I do anyway? I'm just one Dragoon; no, I think we'd be better off just staying out of it."
"Besides, you don't want me getting hurt." Rydia's words were not only plain and simple, but very true. They both knew it, he in the back of his mind and she saw it plainly in his sapphire eyes. "All right," she sighed after a long pause. "When this all settles back down, we'll just...go back. To how we were."
"Yes," he murmured, his voice distant.
Once again, that silence took over as he pulled the boat on shore and she carried the rugs and such back inside. The overbearing silence lasted, thick and unrelenting. Kain was deep in thought, and, normally not a talkative person, when he was upset or pensive, he did not speak at all. Rydia was in no mood to break that silence either. She was concerned about Cecil and all those in Baron, of course, but she was worried about her husband too. She knew him like no one else could; she was the only one he had opened up to since the Crystal Wars four whole years prior.
He sat in a stiff-backed wooden chair facing the window. Instead of sharing the sunset outside like they normally did, he stayed there, staring out the window, his deep sapphire eyes pensive and clouded with thought. He did not move, nor speak; he would not even eat the food she tried to prepare for him.
Finally, a few hours after the sun had completely set and the horizon had glimmered with the sunlight for the last moment, she approached him. The silence was beginning to wear on her. "Kain," she whispered. She got no response, so she simply folded her arms around his neck and seated herself on his lap. "Kain, you've got to stop this. No matter how much you stare out that window, you'll never help Cecil worrying to death."
Kain was silent, but he shifted, putting his arms around her and holding her to him. It was something, if not a whole lot. They simply held each other halfway into the night.
Surprisingly enough, it was he who broke the silence. "Rydia," he whispered, "you know I love you, right? And you know I always will?"
Her wide blue eyes just looked at him. "Of course I know that, silly," she replied, her voice just as soft as his, and she leaned forward to kiss him gently on a scar on his cheek he had had since before she'd met him. "And I love you too. I wouldn't have married you if I hadn't..." She smiled weakly.
Unexpectedly, he stood up, cradling her in his arms. He walked toward their bedroom and said softly, "Let's go to bed, love."
Rydia awoke to the strands of sunlight filtering into the bedroom through the small window. She did not even have to open her eyes. She already knew something was amiss. And she was quite sure she knew what it was.
She sat up. "Kain?" she called into the emptiness of the morning air. There was no reply. He was not beside her, where he had been when she fell asleep. He was not anywhere in the cabin. When she looked out the door, she noticed that the small boat was gone.
It was mostly to her own surprise that she didn't immediately panic, searching for any clue as to where he had gone. She also didn't try to convince herself that he had gone out to Agart for an early start. She knew where he had gone. To Baron. And, as she felt herself collapse to her knees on the floor, silent tears slipping down her cheeks, she knew she would never see him again.
"Oh, Kain," she whispered, "how could you leave me now?"
There was a note under a rock where the two of them would sit for long hours, watching the sun go down. The note was written in his pen, and it said this:
"My beloved,
"Please forgive me. But I cannot stay here, and I cannot take you with me. So I chose to do the only thing that I could do. I had to give up the one who means most to me, but not for a moment do I believe that we will be separated forever. You are a resourceful girl and I know you can take care of yourself. This way, I don't need to worry about you and I can keep my eye on Cecil and Rosa as well.
"I will love you forever and don't you ever doubt that. You will always have my thoughts and my heart, and my eternity is yours.
"Never forget me,
"Kain."
My lover's gone,
his boots no longer by my door
He left at dawn,
and as I slept I felt him go
Returns no more
I will not watch the ocean
My lover's gone
No earthly ships will ever bring him home again
Bring him home again
My lover's gone
I know that kiss will be my last
No more his song
The tune upon his lips has passed
I sing alone
while I watch the ocean
My lover's gone No earthly ships will ever bring him home again Bring him home again
My Lover's Gone
Four years had gone by, now, four years since the ruby moon had orbited the world one last time and then had slid away into the cloud cover of the horizon, never to be seen again. Four years, years where the destruction of peace and happiness caused by a certain, over-zealous Lunarian, had been slowly reverted to harmony and tranquility.
Those four years had seen their share of disputes and unrest, but that too had given way to peace and joy. The years had given birth to a new start where the four monarchies of the known world joined together peacefully, living at peace and trading freely with one another, despite some underlying tensions. Everyone benefited mutually, and everyone shared the tranquility.
The newfound peace had even bred love.
They had been married quite recently and, since they both found a deep longing for the outdoors, they ended up staying in a small cottage on an uninhabited island an hour's boat ride from Agart. She didn't want to be too far away from those who raised her and, from here, it was a boat trip to Agart, then a chocobo ride down to the Land of Summoned Monsters. He had nowhere to lay his claim, as he had disowned himself from the land he once called home in an endless stream of self-guilt. So the location was ideal for both the isolation they desired and the sense that help was just a boat-ride away, if it were so needed.
They would often sit together in the dying warmth of the nighttime air, huddling together and sharing their warmth. Enjoying the ocean around them and the sunset reflecting through the rippling waters proved to be a perfect opportunity for discussion. It was here that they talked of many things. She told him of the sea monster that had taken her to what she now considered her home; he told her of how things were before, before Golbez came and destroyed what life and friendship he'd had. One night, they even fell asleep out there, in the light of the single moon, of the dancing diamond stars. They both took ill the next day and had to spend the rest of the week indoors.
Things were changing. She could see a change in him; in his bright blue eyes, there was a spark of true happiness. He smiled at her more, not the fake smile he used to give her, when things were not okay but he wanted her to think they were, but a smile that was genuine, a grin that she had not seen on him before, ever. And it made her smile, too.
"Kain, aren't you up yet?" Rydia yelled into the bedroom. "Your breakfast is getting cold!"
The man in the bed grunted tiredly and rolled over, pulling the blankets over his head. As far as he was concerned, he didn't need breakfast if it meant stealing his warm blanket and comfortable recline.
But there was something else to steal that, the blanket anyway. Namely, his wife, who was definitely--unlike him--a morning person. Soon, he found himself blanketless and very unhappy about it. "Hey, what's the big idea here?" he grumbled, sitting up and trying unsuccessfully to steal back the blanket.
She batted at him. "You know what the big idea is! Its the same idea it is every morning!" she scolded mockingly. "You complain about my cooking, but that's because you're never there when it's warm!"
"All right, all right!" he cried defensively, yawning and stretching. He stood up slowly and slipped into his bathrobe, then made his way into the kitchen area of the cabin. Upon his arrival, he slipped his arms around his young wife's slender waist and kissed her lightly on the top of her head.
"Oh, sure," she grumbled accusingly, "now you're all lovey-dovey, but when you're in bed and I steal your blanket, you hate me!"
He feigned horror. "Never!" he protested. "But, really...you know I'll always love you," he added, his voice serious. He found himself assuring her of this alot, like he was afraid she didn't know. He was almost afraid to let her go, lest this new-found peace were to evade him once again.
She, of course, sensed this. She turned, still in his arms, so that she was facing him, and slid her arms around his neck, brushing back his long, golden hair. "I know, Kain. And the same goes for you...even if you do snore," she added playfully, looking up at him with that endearing grin he loved so much about her. But suddenly she pulled away, ducking under his embrace and pushing him lightly toward the table. "Sit down, and eat, before you starve to death, marveling at my beauty," she admonished playfully. "I already ate 'cause I got sick of waiting for you."
Kain meekly sat down at the makeshift table, where his breakfast was waiting. It was cold, and Rydia wasn't the greatest cook in the world, but he didn't mind. All that mattered to him was that sense of peace he found whenever he was with Rydia.
"We'll have to head to Agart soon," she was saying, "otherwise we'll probably starve to death. I have a couple new rugs to sell, so we can probably get enough food to last for a week or so." Agart wasn't a big tourist town, or very big, for that matter, but Rydia's hand woven items were very popular among the denizens. They also would simply trade food for the rugs and such, which made bartering easier, since the town was fond of the couple and would often throw in something extra with the promise that Rydia would carpet their entire home some day.
"Right, you're finished with that one you were working on yesterday?" Kain asked. He glanced out the window; the seas seemed calm enough to make the short travel. "Looks like a good day for sailing, let's go today," he replied to her affirmative nod.
Within an hour, the two of them had loaded up their small boat with the rugs she had made and the fish that he had caught the night before. Neither of them was entirely too fond of fish, so they often sold whatever he managed to catch as well. He had been right; the seas were perfect for a boat ride, and soon, they banked on the shore of the island that held Agart.
It was a short walk to the town. But, the moment they entered the town, it was obvious something was wrong. Instead of the normal, midday hustle and bustle of the marketplace, the streets were strangely quiet, and anyone who was actually in the road was hushed and looking anxious. Kain, carrying the rugs in one hand and holding Rydia's in his other, looked about, noting the strange behavior immediately. He set down the rugs and had Rydia watch them while he approached a woman who was a regular customer of theirs.
"Shandri?" he implored. "What's going on? Where is everyone?"
The woman had been seated on her porch swing, swinging nervously and looking about with a sense of sadness in her soft, dark eyes. "Oh...Kain," she said when she saw him. "No, I suppose you wouldn't have heard. Well, you're not a citizen of Agart, so why would you have? There's a war...all the men are being drafted...even my husband." Shandri looked as if she were about to cry. "I'm sorry, I can't buy your rugs today. We have a treaty with Toroia, so all the men....the economy is going down."
"What?!" That was the only thing Kain could think of to say. He paused for a long moment, staring at Shandri. "A war?! Between Toroia...and who?" Who would invade Toroia?
"Baron," she replied.
Kain blinked, unbelieving. "Baron invaded Toroia?" he asked confusedly. What the hell was Cecil thinking?
"No...Toroia invaded Baron."
And that made even less sense. Baron had the strongest army in the world, and no one with half a brain in their head would invade them. Baron owned the biggest, fastest, and only fleet of airships in the world. They could take anyone, just about. "What the hell are they thinking?!" he demanded, fuming. Baron was his home country, and, although he no longer associated himself with it, it was still the country his best friend ruled.
"No, no...Toroia has the advantage. I guess they sent in spies and rigged all the airships. Half of Baron's army has already fallen, just in that," the woman explained. "I don't care who wins, I just want Jaime home soon...."
Kain felt positively faint. Half of Baron's army.... In a daze, he thanked Shandri and headed back to where Rydia was waiting for him, demanding to know what was going on. "We may as well head back," he heard himself say. "No one's going to be buying anything for a while that they don't need."
"Kain, what's going on? You look positively ill!" Rydia grabbed his arm. "Tell me, Kain! What's wrong?"
"Toroia invaded Baron. And they're winning." The words sounded stale and surreal. They seemed to stick in his throat and then hang in the air. Even the wind stopped and time seemed to stand still. What was going on?
They were silent until they reached the boat, and then all the question that his mind demanded to know spilled from her lips, jumbled together. She was as shocked as he was. "But...but why?! That doesn't make any sense, Cecil has treaties with Yang and Edge and Edward...." She paused. "What are they after? How the hell are they winning? This doesn't make any sense!"
"I don't know." The words were empty and hollow. "I guess some Toroian spies rigged the airships and that took care of half the army right there. Toroia has a treaty with Agart because they're so close. All the men have been shipped out of here and none of the women are buying anything. As for the treaties with Fabul, Eblan, and Damcyan, well, none of them are going to want to get involved. Damcyan and Eblan still don't have much in the way of an army, and Fabul is quite far away to be called on for reinforcements. Besides, they're fighters are still quite young and inexperienced."
The rest of the boat ride ensued in a deafening silence. There was nothing to be said. The only sound was the gentle lapping of the water at the side of their small boat as they reached the shore of the small island. Rydia did not miss the look of longing in her husband's eyes, though. "You want to go there, to help them," she said simply.
"I do," he admitted. "But what good could I do anyway? I'm just one Dragoon; no, I think we'd be better off just staying out of it."
"Besides, you don't want me getting hurt." Rydia's words were not only plain and simple, but very true. They both knew it, he in the back of his mind and she saw it plainly in his sapphire eyes. "All right," she sighed after a long pause. "When this all settles back down, we'll just...go back. To how we were."
"Yes," he murmured, his voice distant.
Once again, that silence took over as he pulled the boat on shore and she carried the rugs and such back inside. The overbearing silence lasted, thick and unrelenting. Kain was deep in thought, and, normally not a talkative person, when he was upset or pensive, he did not speak at all. Rydia was in no mood to break that silence either. She was concerned about Cecil and all those in Baron, of course, but she was worried about her husband too. She knew him like no one else could; she was the only one he had opened up to since the Crystal Wars four whole years prior.
He sat in a stiff-backed wooden chair facing the window. Instead of sharing the sunset outside like they normally did, he stayed there, staring out the window, his deep sapphire eyes pensive and clouded with thought. He did not move, nor speak; he would not even eat the food she tried to prepare for him.
Finally, a few hours after the sun had completely set and the horizon had glimmered with the sunlight for the last moment, she approached him. The silence was beginning to wear on her. "Kain," she whispered. She got no response, so she simply folded her arms around his neck and seated herself on his lap. "Kain, you've got to stop this. No matter how much you stare out that window, you'll never help Cecil worrying to death."
Kain was silent, but he shifted, putting his arms around her and holding her to him. It was something, if not a whole lot. They simply held each other halfway into the night.
Surprisingly enough, it was he who broke the silence. "Rydia," he whispered, "you know I love you, right? And you know I always will?"
Her wide blue eyes just looked at him. "Of course I know that, silly," she replied, her voice just as soft as his, and she leaned forward to kiss him gently on a scar on his cheek he had had since before she'd met him. "And I love you too. I wouldn't have married you if I hadn't..." She smiled weakly.
Unexpectedly, he stood up, cradling her in his arms. He walked toward their bedroom and said softly, "Let's go to bed, love."
Rydia awoke to the strands of sunlight filtering into the bedroom through the small window. She did not even have to open her eyes. She already knew something was amiss. And she was quite sure she knew what it was.
She sat up. "Kain?" she called into the emptiness of the morning air. There was no reply. He was not beside her, where he had been when she fell asleep. He was not anywhere in the cabin. When she looked out the door, she noticed that the small boat was gone.
It was mostly to her own surprise that she didn't immediately panic, searching for any clue as to where he had gone. She also didn't try to convince herself that he had gone out to Agart for an early start. She knew where he had gone. To Baron. And, as she felt herself collapse to her knees on the floor, silent tears slipping down her cheeks, she knew she would never see him again.
"Oh, Kain," she whispered, "how could you leave me now?"
There was a note under a rock where the two of them would sit for long hours, watching the sun go down. The note was written in his pen, and it said this:
"My beloved,
"Please forgive me. But I cannot stay here, and I cannot take you with me. So I chose to do the only thing that I could do. I had to give up the one who means most to me, but not for a moment do I believe that we will be separated forever. You are a resourceful girl and I know you can take care of yourself. This way, I don't need to worry about you and I can keep my eye on Cecil and Rosa as well.
"I will love you forever and don't you ever doubt that. You will always have my thoughts and my heart, and my eternity is yours.
"Never forget me,
"Kain."
My lover's gone,
his boots no longer by my door
He left at dawn,
and as I slept I felt him go
Returns no more
I will not watch the ocean
My lover's gone
No earthly ships will ever bring him home again
Bring him home again
My lover's gone
I know that kiss will be my last
No more his song
The tune upon his lips has passed
I sing alone
while I watch the ocean
My lover's gone No earthly ships will ever bring him home again Bring him home again