Destroy and Rebuild
Chapter Four: Information
Disclaimer: I don't own Radiata Stories or any of the characters in the game; they are the property of the brilliant minds at Square Enix.
Authors Note(s): Words in '…' indicate a thought. Words in "…" indicate spoken words. The first thing to note is that this story is a sequel. The characterization and storyline contained here are based on the characters and events that occur in my first story, Sever All Ties. Everything that happens in this story will make a lot more sense if you have read that one, so I recommend reading the first story before reading the sequel. With that in mind, the story picks up where Sever All Ties left off, and tells what happens after Aphelion is defeated and Jack and Ridley return to Radiata. I hope you enjoy.
It was late in the afternoon when Ridley woke up from her sleep. Fighting off the urge to go back to sleep, she sat up and looked around. With the exception of a tray from the kitchen sitting on her desk, everything in the room looked unchanged. Seeing the tray, Ridley's stomach growled and demanded she see what had been brought to her. She stood up and crossed the room quickly, still wrapped in the warm blanket. Lifting the lid from the tray, she found a plate of sandwiches and fresh fruit. There was also of pitcher of fruit juice, and two glasses. She instinctively turned her head to look at Jack Russell, who had not moved. Though she acknowledged it might be rude to eat without him, Ridley quickly grabbed one of the sandwiches to appease her stomach. The simple meal was quite tasty, and it helped her to relax. The juice was sweet and cool, and reminded her of the summers she spent at home as a child. When she had eaten what she wanted, Ridley replaced the lid on top of the tray and stood up to stretch. Ridley walked over to her bedside to check on the boy that was resting there. His breathing was more regular, but his face seemed paler than it had when she had gone to sleep.
"Don't die on me, Idiot Boy," Ridley used Jack's old nickname much more affectionately than she had when they had first met. She softly brushed his hair to the side with her fingers. "We're going to get through this together."
A second glance showed Ridley that Jack was not unchanged after all. He was no longer wearing the armor and coat he had been wearing when they had returned to Radiata. The burnished armor and blue coat that made Jack look so handsome were gone, and had been replaced by plain, white linen clothes. Someone from the castle's medical team must have come into the room to examine him while she slept. Ridley walked around the bed and found that his armor had been deposited on the floor. She must have been sleeping deeply to have missed that much activity. Seating herself on the bed next to Jack, she tried to clear her mind and think about what was going to happen to them in the coming days. Lord Larks had spoken of a trial as if he expected it to occur soon. The people he chose to sit on that committee would be very important to the decision they reached. Her father, as Lord Chamberlain, should be selected. Ridley thought again of Lord Jasne, and hoped he was all right. While she was thinking about what would happen to them, the door to her room opened. A man walked in carrying a silver tray that had tea and cookies. The man was of average height with his black hair in a bowl-cut, and wore the uniform of a castle servant.
"Hello, Al," Ridley greeted the castle steward plainly. Though they had never had any problems with one another, she was not particularly fond of him.
"Lady Ridley," Al said with a bow. He paused for a moment when he saw her wrapped in the blanket, and diverted his eyes to the floor. "My apologies, Lady Ridley, I did not realize you were not decent."
"It's all right," Ridley said. She was still wearing the linen dress that went with her armor. Seeing her thus, Al deposited the tea tray next to the lunch that Ridley had eaten earlier, and began to pour her a cup.
"Is there anything else you require of me, my lady," Al asked. Ridley smiled as she accepted the cup of tea that he offered her.
"Yes Al, there is," Ridley hoped to learn about the situation in the castle from its steward. "I need to know about what happened here while I was gone."
"Ah yes, I thought you might be curious as to how your actions affected everyone that you left behind," Al's voice took on a familiar tone that was tactfully judgmental. "What makes you think that someone like me knows anything?"
"You're the castle steward Al," Ridley said. "I'm sure you know a great deal about what's been going on around here."
"I resent the suggestion that I somehow gather knowledge I am not meant to have," Al said flatly. "However, I may be able to provide you with some knowledge."
"I would like that very much," Ridley answered with a smile. She moved to the edge of the bed in anticipation of his answers.
"What is it that you would like to know," asked the steward. Al had turned his eyes to Jack Russell. Ridley followed his gaze, and felt a sudden sense of urgency.
"Just tell me what happened," Ridley was growing impatient, and gave Al an icy gaze. "I'm tired of playing verbal games. Start from the beginning."
"As you wish, my lady," Al bowed as he spoke. "I should begin by pointing out that there has been much debate over whether you defected on your own, as opposed to being kidnapped or brainwashed. It's been rather tough on your father. Poor man, these last few weeks have been particularly hard on him."
"I left because I had to," Ridley countered. She paused for a moment before continuing. "And what do you mean about the weeks being hard on my father?"
"Your father was relieved of his duties and Lord Chamberlain and placed on house arrest until it could be determined whether or not you had left Radiata on your own," the castle steward spoke calmly as Ridley's countenance dropped. "He kept his title, but lost his authority to make decisions until it could be determined what happened to you."
"Why…why would what happened to me affect his title," Ridley was unsure what to do. She hated the thought of having caused her father to suffer.
"After it became public knowledge that you and the Monkey Brain had defected, Lord Larks feared it would send the wrong message to keep your father in power," Al answered plainly.
"We didn't want to have to fight," Ridley's voice wavered as she spoke.
"You don't have to convince me," Al began. His face did not change as he continued. "Just Lord Larks and whoever he selects to sit for your trial."
"Do you know anything about that," Ridley pressed for more information. "About how he's going to do that?"
"Lord Larks put together a council to determine Radiata's course of action when facing the dragons," said Al. "I would expect that the council will be re-called, though some will need to be replaced."
"Who was on the council," Ridley asked. "Why will they need to be replaced?"
"Ironically, the original council met the night that you left Radiata," Al spoke plainly. "It was made up of His Majesty, the Lord Chamberlain, Lord Larks, General Dynas Stone, Lord Lucian Hewitt, Sir Cross Ward, and the four Guild Leaders. Your friend, the Pretend Knight was supposed to be present because of what his father did, but he left with you instead."
"Jack Russell was a great knight," Ridley said angrily. "And he is a great person. He sacrificed a lot for me, and I will not here you him insulted so."
"Apologies, my lady," the steward bowed again. She did not take her eyes off of him.
"So, who will need to be replaced," Ridley asked. "I know that Lord Lucian is gone, but who else?"
"Lord Lucian's whereabouts are currently unknown," Al gave Ridley a questioning glance as he spoke. "He is the only member I expected you not to know about."
"I will speak to Lord Larks about Lord Lucian," Ridley tried to steer Al away from that topic. "Tell me of the others."
"It goes without saying," Al started. "That your father will not be allowed to sit on the council because of your involvement in the case. If Lord Larks has not allowed him to make daily decisions in your absence, you cannot think he will be allowed to have any authority here."
"That makes sense, I suppose," Ridley knew that the decision was fair, but had been hoping that her father would be on the council to support her cause and Jack's. "You said that others would also need to be replaced, though."
"As the ones who killed them, I didn't think I would need to tell you that General Dynas and Sir Cross will not be on the council," Al's voice barely maintained the proper level of respect due to her.
"What are you saying," Ridley was both stunned and angry at the same time. "General Dynas is dead?"
"Of course he is," Al seemed to be growing irritated. "Killed in battle by Jack Russell at Fort Helencia. Sir Cross returned from the battle with the General's body. Lord Larks was unhappy to hear that General Dynas attacked the Fort without consulting anyone, and was even more unhappy to hear of the defeat they suffered, but that is all secondary to the fact that he was killed by a traitor. Sir Cross was to be named to the position of General of the Radiata Knights, but the castle is already buzzing with the news that Jack Russell killed him too."
"No, that's wrong," Ridley exclaimed. "Cross lied; he led the attack on Fort Helencia, and General Dynas came to stop him. They were both alive when they left to return to the castle. It must've been Cross who killed the General."
"I would be careful about saying things like that without some sort of proof to offer," Al cautioned. His tone changed as he continued. "But as I said, you don't have to convince me, my lady."
"I was there," Ridley said. She vividly remembered struggling desperately to stay alive against the attacking knights in their attack from only days before. "I saw what happened."
"What about Sir Cross," Al asked. "Were you there when he was killed?"
"No, I…I wasn't," Ridley said. She glanced at Jack before she continued confidently. "But I trust Jack. He said that he didn't kill Cross, and I believe him."
Though she spoke with a confidence, Ridley's mind was replaying the end of the battle at Fort Helencia. Jack and Cross had fought viciously against each other, and he seemed intent upon killing the Knight Captain. She had intervened with General Dynas and Sir Gawain, and Jack had stopped short of finishing his hated opponent, but she wasn't so sure he would restrain himself if he were given another chance. Gil had confirmed Jack's statement that Cross had been killed by Aphelion, and she trusted him, but she found herself hoping that he hadn't done anything foolish. Of course, convincing the men in charge of deciding their fate that Gil had told her that, or that his word somehow meant anything, would be another matter. Aware that the silence was growing palpable, she looked over and saw that Al was staring at her.
"We didn't kill Cross or the General," Ridley stated again. "We'll prove it at our trial."
"As you say, Lady Ridley," Al nodded.
"Who will be on the council," she asked, trying not to lose the opportunity to get more information. "And don't pretend like that's something you don't know anything about."
"No one has been chosen yet," Al said with a sigh. "The council to address the danger of the dragons was intended to have 11 members, though at your trial it may only be nine. The four Guild Leaders will retain their positions, but it is unlikely that any other special members will be called in to be given voting power the way the Idiot was supposed to. The castle is only allowed to have one more voting member than the town, so that means that there will be five members from the castle. His Majesty will undoubtedly be present, and so will Lord Larks, but the other three members have yet to be chosen. One of the final three spots will go to whoever Lord Larks selects to replace General Dynas to command the Radiata Knights. The other two positions will be appointed, likely to high ranking nobility or knights."
"I see," Ridley nodded. "When will this trial occur?"
"Sooner, rather than later I should think," the castle steward sounded unsure. "Your invalid friend was already looked at by the castle's medical staff, and they were unable to find anything wrong with him. A healing priest from the Olacion Order will be here later to attempt to diagnose him. If possible, Lord Larks would prefer that he be capable of speaking in his own defense."
"I see," Ridley's voice trailed off as her mind began to work. As the silence grew, Al spoke up.
"If you don't need anything else, I'm afraid I need to depart," he said. "I have other duties to see to this afternoon."
"Yes…of course," Ridley had gathered a great deal of information, and had a lot to think about.
Ridley was left sitting by herself as Al took the lunch tray and walked out of the room. When he opened two the door, she glimpsed two knights standing across the hall. Lord Larks had ordered four guards for their door, so she was certain there were two more somewhere. The door was quickly shut behind the steward, and Ridley's mind began working. It was infuriating to think that Cross had killed General Dynas and framed Jack for it. She knew that he was unscrupulous on the battlefield, but it was repulsive to think that he would kill General Dynas to cover his own misdeeds. The problem would be convincing the people that would judge them that the man they believed a hero was so underhanded. Thinking of the council made her mind go to her father; she was worried about his house arrest, and wanted to be able to see him. It was strange to think that his advisor, Lord Lucian, had been the Silver Dragon. So much had changed in only three days, and Ridley was troubled by what had happened and what was to come.
Beside her, Jack had not stirred at all. He was still lying motionless on the bed, with his eyes closed. His chest rose and fell steadily, but she was still afraid he could take a turn for the worst at any moment. The medical staff of the castle couldn't figure out what was wrong with him, and that frightened her. She hoped that whoever the Olacion Order sent would be able to determine what was wrong with him. Though she had projected confidence in dealing with Lord Larks and with Al, she was nervous about what would happen in the next few days. Having Jack by her side would make it easier for her to stand trial and be confident. Worrying about him would not help her situation at all, and she was anxious for Jack to get better. She mechanically sipped her tea and nibbled on a cookie, thinking about the time they had spent together.
Though they had gotten off to a rocky start, Ridley had grown to like the cocky idiot that had been admitted to the knights with her. His effort to protect her in the battle with the blood orc, and the dismissal that he suffered for it, endeared him to her even more. Jack had assuaged Ridley's guilt over his dismissal at her birthday, but she had still worried about him. At the time she left the knights, Ridley didn't really know why she had gone to see Jack, but now she couldn't imagine having gone anywhere else. She had not asked Jack to accompany her, but he had immediately decided to go to join the non-humans. He had made so many sacrifices for her, fighting against his former friends and supporting her both physically and emotionally. He had grown up a lot during just a few short weeks, but he still had the boyish demeanor that made her smile. The opportunity that they had been given was more than she could ever have hoped for. Ridley had tried to push Jack away because she was supposed to die to bring about the Changeover and repair the imbalance in the world. Instead, Jack had followed her and created a new path for humans and non-humans alike. He had created a new path for the two of them. She cared for Jack in a way that she had not cared about anyone else, and wanted desperately for him to feel the same way about her. Ridley was eager to have Jack back and for the two of them to make a place for themselves in Radiata, an opportunity they had not had before. She was still thinking about this when the door opened.
Vegeta26: A little more filler this chapter, but I'm hoping this will all go toward setting up the major action that's coming a little later. As always, I hope you're enjoying the story and look forward to hearing from you via reviews.
nanohaxfate: My take on Jack and Ridley's return is a little different than a hero's welcome. They have to be held accountable for their actions, which necessitates a trial. It'll be a little while longer before Jack rejoins us. Let me know what you think.
Xerosin: Welcome. There's a lot of reading to do, I know, but hopefully it wasn't tedious. I'm glad to hear you liked the approach I took in the previous story and in this one. I look forward to hearing your thoughts as we continue to move forward.
KaUiA: Giving Ridley a turn to be in the spotlight is something that I was hoping would flesh out the story a little more. She's certainly watching over Jack while he is out of commission, but the idea is that they'll both look after each other as things progress. Hope to hear from you again.
Black Knightress: Good to finally hear from you, and I'm glad you're enjoying the story. Jack's condition is one to be concerned about, and a more information about it will be coming in the next few chapters. I hope to hear from you again in the future.