City of Fate

Not the first thing I've written for Symphonia, but it is the first thing I'm posting. And all I'm saying is that if Yggdrasill seems a little, well, gay, it's because he is, and you all know it. I mean, come on! That shit with Genis just got real, yo! Also, if you can't tell, I like my Yggdrasill a manipulative asshole. Because he is. Let's do this!

When spring turned to summer in Tethe'alla the days became hot and long, but the nights were fair and temperate, a cool breeze occasionally blowing across the fields and bringing a pleasant chill to the otherwise humid nights. From the sunny Altimira to the milder Meltokio, this was by far the best time of year, everything finally alive again after the chill winter and not yet stuck in the sweltering heat of mid-summer. It was everyone's favorite time of year, from half-elf to nobleman, and the whole nation seemed to relax under the early summer sky.

Everywhere but Flanoir. The snowy city was aptly named, as it was stuck in perpetual winter due to nearby Celsius' influence. Ice and snow and frost covered everything with a biting cold that persisted long into even summer, and even at the height of the season, the snow would only just begin to melt before the leaves on the main continent turned reds and yellows and the snow would again begin to fall in Flanoir. Even that night it was snowing, and the chill that Zelos Wilder felt was far, far worse than the cold outside.

The Chosen hated snow, it was true, but the pain he felt that night went beyond the death of his mother on a snowy day in Meltokio, so much so that he ignored his objection to the weather and sat upon the walls overlooking the city. He could not stand to be shut away in the comfort of a room at the inn when he would only be surrounded by the people he had traveled with for the past months, nor did he want to have anything to do with that fool of a dwarf Altessa. True, he was sent with the group headed by Raine to save the injured man, but he had ducked out of the crowd before they had left; they probably hadn't even noticed.

Zelos sighed, cold air from his breath appearing in the air before him, his shoulders slumping in defeat as he looked down over the roof of the Church of Martel into the courtyard where Lloyd, their brave, noble, idealistic, foolish idiot of a leader stood with that stupid dog creature of his and another man. It was hopeless. Zelos tried to tell himself that things would have been better if it was anyone but him, could write that off as simple companionship and closeness bred from their battles and travels together. He'd understand if it was sweet, innocent, suffering Colette, since there was obviously something deep between the two, something unwavering and unchanging that could not be shaken, but no. No, the one that stood with him now was Kratos, a man who had betrayed them time and time again, had been their enemy nearly their entire journey, had tried to take away that which Lloyd treasured the most. And it was him – him! – that Lloyd now stood with, of all the people he could have chosen. It was Kratos he chose to spend the night with before their final battle. It could be his last night alive, and he chose him? Unbelievable.

It was true that Zelos had not been the most…faithful of companions. But hey, it was a difficult thing to do when working with three conflicting parties. After all, who else would report their every plan to Cruxis? And who else could send word of their exact location to the Renegades? It was a hard lot, but someone had to do it. And it wasn't like he hadn't been working for Lloyd as well. After all, it was he who snuck them back into Meltokio when their return was necessary. And it was he who convinced the king to give them access to Heimdall so that they could search for the Mana Leaf Herb for precious Colette's cure. Who else could have done for them what he had done? Who else had the connections, the influence and the know-how to get them what they needed? Nobody, that's who. Sure, every now and again he'd lead them into a trap, or report on their actions to their enemy, but so what? Even doing what he did, they wouldn't even have made it that far without him. Wasn't that worth a little trust?

Apparently not, Zelos was finding out, and again he sighed heavily, looking at the pair below him as they slowly started to walk off. Who was he kidding? With Lloyd's determination and Raine's intelligence, they could have succeeded. After all, Regal was connected as well, even if he was a criminal. They could have gotten by, no doubt, and easier too without having a traitor in their ranks. He briefly considered telling Lloyd this, that he had been working for Cruixs and the Renegades the whole time, much like Yuan had done, since it was abundantly clear that Lloyd got on so well with people who openly betray him, but he somehow doubted it would go so well for him if he did. After all, Lloyd at one point must have trusted Kratos, and Zelos knew that Lloyd had never trusted him, had always felt a certain coldness and mistrust toward him that never went away no matter how much he helped them out. And Kratos was his father, after all. He certainly couldn't compete with that…

He sat there long after Lloyd and Kratos had walked away, staring at the empty, snowy overlook where they once stood. He crossed his arms, his exposed skin frigid to the touch, but Zelos felt no cold. What now? He supposed that his lot hadn't changed that much, that was the beauty of being a triple agent, as it were; if one party is exterminated, you're still in business. With the Renegades out of the picture, though, his life became a little more complicated. Yuan was by far the one he was closest to of the three groups he currently worked for, and he wasn't hiding anything from the half-elf; Yuan was fully aware of and supported his spying work. More than that, Yuan trusted him, and that was such a hard thing for the man to do, especially with another angel of Cruxis; after all, for as long as the Renegades existed, he had never told his comrade Kratos what he was doing, and yet he trusted Zelos with this information, even though he could have easily betrayed him to Yggdrasill in exchange for a better life for his sister. And here Lloyd was, trusting a man that even his former best friend couldn't trust. Sickening…

Yuan was as good as dead; his game was up, and if he was lucky, he would be able to properly disband his men before Yggdrasill slaughtered the lot. The Renegades were done, and Zelos was stuck with only two choices, and they both sat unfavorably with him. Cruxis' world of lifeless beings, or Lloyd's mistrustful companionship. It was hardly a fair choice, and it was not one he wished to make.

The cold air seemed to get even colder as a long, slender shadow fell over him and seconds later a cold, feminine hand lay over his shoulder possessively and he shuddered slightly at the powerful presence behind him. Mindless, Zelos reflexively whispered, "M'lord."

"I have to say, Zelos," Yggdrasill said in his typical hushed, menacing way, "that this whole incident with Yuan has left me rather…distressed. It makes me question the loyalties of others close to me."

"Do you suspect Kratos? I can tell you right now, I don't like that guy. I never have."

"Oh, Zelos, you are an absolute treasure!" The angel's hand tightened like a vice grip around the redhead's shoulder and Zelos gasped in pain, his wide blue eyes locking with the cold, angry angel. "I was more thinking about you. I know how close you and Yuan are. Surely you must have known of his plans…"

"You're kidding me!" Zelos finally cried, forcing the hand off his shoulder angrily. "The first I heard of it was when stupid Lloyd took us to poor dead Magnius' ranch! And let me tell you how shocked I was then, I even called him a traitor right then and there when I found out!"

"And you certainly have an excuse as to why you did not inform me of this matter immediately upon learning of it?"

The Chosen rolled his eyes, his fingers nervously toying with the Cruxis Crystal on his chest. "Please, what was I going to do? 'Oh, yeah, uh, hey Lloyd? You want to go back with me to Palmacosta for a minute? I just got to buy some gels before we go, we can never have too many gels!' That would have gone over well, the entire lot was rearing to go. And I was thinking, hey, this works for Cruxis. After all, Rodyle was a menace, and even you ordered his death. Given the circumstances, I thought that was the best course of action."

"Oh, but Zelos. You're missing the point." Yggdrasill loomed over the Chosen, his features softening slightly as he detected slight fear in the boy's eyes. "You never told me about Yuan, even after you knew…"

Zelos instantly relaxed and shrugged nonchalantly. "I didn't need to. As soon as we got back, you found out. You were there when that moron shot his mouth off about needing to tell Yuan about the Renegades. I was watching you, I saw your expression, I knew you knew."

"But you never told me," the angel reiterated, and Zelos just stared at his, breath caught in his throat.

"I…I apologize, m'lord. I…I should have said something."

"Yes, you should have," Yggdrasill said softly, cupping Zelos' chin and forcing him to look up at him. "But I forgive your mistakes, Zelos. You are very important to me, after all."

"Yeah…" the redhead whispered, tearing away from the angel and again looking out to the city, his arms wrapped tightly around his legs. "Man, am I really that hard to trust? Sweet Martel…"

Mithos looked at his Chosen, his back to him and looking very small in the snow up on the wall. He followed his gaze to the form of his current nuisance, but Kratos' bastard was little more than misplaced ideals and wasted space. The child would have been far better off had his men done their job and killed him. A faint smile marked his lips as he wrapped his arms about his Chosen, his long, slender fingers entwining in his red locks. He felt the man tense up nearly instantly, but he just smiled and held him tighter.

"I trust you, Zelos Wilder. Your companions may not, but I do…" Zelos audibly groaned, a pained and tortured thing, and Mithos simply pet his hair, pulling him close as the man slowly relaxed. "They do not love you as I love you, my Zelos. You're a valuable member of my team. You're the only one I can trust anymore. What are you to them?"

"Apparently nothing…"

"You're nothing at all to them, Zelos."

"No, I'm not…" the Chosen said softly, his voice catching in his throat. Despite his proximity to his leader, he only felt colder as he looked down at Lloyd as he stood alone in the snow.

"I think it is high time you return to me, Zelos. Return to Cruxis. It's time we drop this façade."

"What do you mean?" Zelos asked softly, only half paying attention as he watched his idealistic companion.

"Martel's vessel will be complete tomorrow. That imperfect Chosen of theirs has been cured of her faults and she is ready." He gripped him tighter, watching Zelos watch Lloyd and carefully examined the emotion that played across the man's face: hurt, rage, betrayal, everything that made the man weak and vulnerable. "See how they hurt you, Zelos? Even after so much time, they hold no love for you, no faith in you, no appreciation for all the things you have done for them." Mithos frowned, becoming hard and cold again and grasping the Chosen tighter, making the man struggle slightly for a moment. "And you have done so much for them."

"Yes…"

"And you have even grown to care for them, haven't you?" the angel asked, his voice harsh and disapproving. "And look what they do to you! They abuse you, Zelos. They do not treat you as they should. They have no trust in you at all, despite all your sacrifices." The Chosen winced at every sentenced that passed from his leader's lips, and he felt all the feelings he had bottled up inside him begin to slip away until there was nothing left in him but an overwhelming sense of hopelessness and self-loathing.

"What should I do?" Zelos whispered, the tightness in his chest and throat making him wish that he were capable of tears still.

"My Zelos, look how close they came to taking you away from me…" the angel said softly, his entire being softening significantly into something that could almost be mistaken as caring. "Never again. I need you, my most trusted angel. Yuan has failed me, and I can't trust Kratos anymore with his idiot son running about being such a constant irritant. It is just you and me now." The angel smiled as Zelos' body relaxed completely as he submitted to him. Zelos was a force to be reckoned with; losing him along with Yuan would have been disastrous to his cause. "You're freezing, Zelos. And I know how you hate the snow. Come, return with me to Cruxis tonight. Tomorrow morning you can return and lead them to me, where we will take Martel's vessel."

"And what about Lloyd and his group?"

Mithos shrugged. "Dispose of them. They have served their purpose. And they deserve nothing less for what they have done to you, my Chosen. And just think. When this is over, I will not need the Chosen anymore. You'll be free. And think how well off your dear Seles will be…"

"I am yours, my lord." Zelos said softly, watching with lifeless blue eyes as Lloyd disappeared from his view. This is not the path he would have chosen, but Zelos had become used to his fate being chosen for him. He had never had a say in how he lived, but he was resolved to have a say in the way he died. Not that it would matter; he doubted anyone would miss him.

In a flash of light, the two angels departed for Cruxis.