Disclaimer: I own neither Final Fantasy XII nor its characters.
A/N: Yes the disclamer is boring, I agree. My thanks to all those reading this story and to those that review it really is a positive inspiration for me. I cannot thank you enough for taking the time to leave your thoughts! I hope everyone enjoys this next chapter!
Chapter Seven: Just Condemn Me
Noah continued having his right foot and ankle inspected by the Garif healer and winced when a tender part was pressed. The healer drew back his hand and scratched at the side of his mask. He began bending the foot and Noah felt ready to curse and wished the man would stop. Thankfully, he did.
"I see now the problem that has vexed you so," the healer stated with a nod.
Noah looked down at the man kneeling before him. He wanted to be curious, but he was in pain and currently worried for Penelo's state of being. He simply nodded and looked back to the village entrance in hopes of spotting her.
"You care for her a great deal," the healer observed.
"She has taken care of me," Noah stated plainly not wishing to elaborate.
"Aye and without much help, she is a very brave child." The healer stated with a nod as he rose.
"She is not a child," Noah said forcefully causing the Garif healer to chuckle.
"I meant no insult by it Hume who cheated death, but you too are a child in my eyes. That the War-Chief is able to see past the age says a great deal about him. He was the right choice for War-Chief." The healer soothed and Noah nodded feeling slightly embarrassed.
"I shall need to re-set the bone in your foot. You are the first Hume I have ever been given chance to heal and I fear I had missed this break. It will be painful, but once set and bound you shall find that it will be easier to walk about and one day soon you shall no longer need the staff." The healer continued and Noah's eyes widened with shock.
"Can this not wait until Penelo is found?" Noah asked hesitantly and the Garif shook his head.
"I am afraid not. The longer we wait the more chance the bone has to mend incorrectly and that could cause you to need the staff for the rest of your life." The healer stated and crossed his arms.
Noah studied the mask of the healer and then nodded his head. He followed the orders to lie down and was given a piece of wood to place between his teeth. The healer's movements were quick and Noah grunted in pain and the wood in his mouth split in half. The worst of it over, the healer bound the foot tightly.
"I loose many pieces of wood that way," the healer chuckled.
"I can see why," Noah grumbled in pain.
"I will give you some herbs so you might rest." The healer stated rising and turning to some bone pots.
"Nay, I shall be fine," Noah said as he inhaled deeply.
"You will be of no use to her in pain," the healer reprimanded and filled a bone cup with water and herbs.
Noah sighed in defeat. He needed to know that Penelo was okay. He looked back again to the village entrance and was dismayed to find no trace of anything, not even a warrior to bring back news. He accepted the cup from the healer and drank quickly. The taste was bitter and Noah grimaced. The healer motioned one of the Garif youth to come over.
"Lead him back to his hut and to his bed," the healer stated and the youth nodded.
Noah allowed himself to be hefted to his feet and relied heavily on the youth to move. It always amazed him how powerful even the youngest of Garif were. The youth assisted him into his bed and Noah lay back with a muttered thanks and the Garif left the hut.
Now the blue-eyed man had no other means of distraction and his hazy thoughts wandered to the platinum blonde haired girl he had driven to peril. He sighed as he ran a hand over his face and closed his eyes. Would his brother be so willing to forgive him if she came to harm? Or worse yet, would the boy, Vaan let him live? The questions and made up terrors of her fate plagued him as he drifted into an uneasy sleep.
Penelo was wandering through the plains not giving much thought as to where her footsteps were taking her. She had her spear in hand and was determined to not cross paths with fiends unless absolutely necessary. She knew she shouldn't be out on the plains alone, but she needed to get away from Noah, if only for a little bit.
She shook the man from her thoughts and continued on her aimless trek. She hummed a silent tune not wishing to disturb the peace or attract any unwanted attention. At the corner of her vision she caught sight of a wrecked Dalmascan airship and sighed. It seemed the world was always at war in some way or another.
Penelo crawled down into the small pit and went about inspecting the ship. She was curious after all. There was a hole in the side of the ship just large enough to crawl into and that was just what Penelo did. She had been half afraid she would find some garish sight awaiting her, but the inside of the ship was empty, save for a few odds and ends of rusted parts and a ripped upholstered seat. She looked up and saw the sun pouring through another hole in its roof.
Penelo settled herself in the seat and giggled. This was the perfect spot to hide away and she settled down to take a nap. She gave a brief thought that perhaps the Garif might worry about her, but the sun was so warming and the chair so inviting, the thought passed into oblivion as sleep took her.
Penelo's pleasant dream of being wrapped tightly in her parents' arms and surrounded by her brothers' happy cries turned to a nightmare as each disappeared one by one but she continued to hear them shout her name. She tried to shout back to tell them where she was, but she no longer seemed to have a voice. She began to cry as they continued to call out to her.
"Penelo!" the despondent voices called.
She woke with a start and realized she was still safely within the confines on the downed airship. A single tear escaped and trailed down her cheek and she wiped it away. It had only been a dream and she sighed in relief. Penelo stretched and looked around again. The sun was lower in the sky now, nearly setting, and she blinked in amazement. She heard another voice call out and her head snapped in the direction it was sounded from.
"Penelo!" the voice shouted again, this time closer.
She recognized it as Hsemu's and quickly scrambled out of the ship and climbed up the crater. She looked around and saw him beyond the lone tree and waved to catch his attention.
"I'm right here!" she called and watched as the warrior ran towards her.
"Thank the Gods you are unharmed," Hsemu panted in relief and Penelo reddened.
"I'm so sorry. I crawled into that airship and fell asleep." She apologized feeling guilty. "I didn't mean to cause any trouble."
Hsemu chuckled once his breath had been caught and he straightened up. He patted her shoulder and turned his head to witness another Garif running towards them. It was the War-Chief.
"You are unharmed?" Supinelu questioned with concern.
"I'm fine," Penelo replied in a small voice as she began to fidget her fingers together.
"She fell asleep in the machine," Hsemu explained and pointed to the airship.
"Thank the Gods you are safe," Supinelu sighed in relief and then turned to the Garif warrior. "Go inform the others, I shall return her to the village myself."
Hsemu nodded and ran off. Supinelu offered his arm to Penelo which she accepted with a weak smile.
"I'm really sorry," she apologized contritely.
"Though I have advised against going onto the plains alone, I am glad to see you avoided needless conflict." Supinelu stated with a nod of his stately mask.
"I know better than to try and take on fiends alone," she said timidly.
"Aye, that you do and I am grateful," he agreed.
"I really am sorry. I didn't mean to cause so much trouble." Penelo said as she stared at the ground.
"Your friend will be glad to see that you are unharmed," he stated and Penelo raised her chin to look at him with a puzzled face.
"If you mean Noah, I don't think he'd really care." She said disheartened.
"He has been most difficult of late," Supinelu stated and Penelo gave a harsh laugh, "but it is only because he feels he has no purpose and he has much to come to terms with."
"I know," she sighed and kicked at the ground. "I just wish he'd stop being so mean all the time."
"Do not give up on him yet. All things take time." Supinelu offered gently and Penelo frowned.
"He just makes it so hard," she sighed again and this time stabbed her spear into the dirt placing her hands on her hips.
Supinelu stopped and cocked his masked head at her as a look of fierce determination swept over her features.
"That does it," she stated firmly. "He's gonna be nice even if it kills him. If he wants purpose, I'll give him purpose."
Supinelu laughed heartily at the child's outburst and patted her head in admiration. She was certainly a force to be reckoned with when her mind was made up. She would be good for Noah, perhaps just what he needed in the end to see that he never lost his purpose to begin with. He was still meant to be a protector, but it had simply changed the person to whom he was meant to protect. And the Gods only knew how much Penelo needed someone to protect her, if only to keep her from unintentionally coming to harm.
As Penelo and Supinelu entered the village, a tall gangly youth rushed up to greet them. He was out of breath and seemed distressed.
"What is wrong?" Supinelu demanded.
"War-Chief it is the Hume who cheated death," the youth panted out and both Supinelu and Penelo broke into a run towards the hut.
There was a party of both healers and some youth with wooden staffs guarding the hut. Penelo's hands went to her mouth as she gasped in shock.
"I am sorry War-Chief but he will not calm," one of the healers stated.
"What has happened?" Supinelu demanded and swayed his head aggressively.
"It was my doing," the healer who set Noah's foot came forward. "I had found the cause of why he could not walk without aid. I had meant him to sleep, but I know so little of Humes and fear I gave him too many herbs. He does not know where he is and he is in a fit of rage."
"How long has he been thus?" Supinelu asked as crash was heard from inside the hut.
"Nearly quarter an hour and if he continues he will damage what I have already fixed." The healer said in exasperation.
"Let me try to talk to him," Penelo's timid voice spoke up.
"I would not advise this," the healer hurriedly cautioned.
"He doesn't know where he is which probably means he doesn't know who anybody is. Noah grew up around Humes, so maybe if he saw another Hume it could help." Penelo explained and Supinelu blew out a puff of air.
"We will stand guard," the War-Chief said and bade the youth guarding the hut's entrance give way.
Penelo cautiously made her way into the hut and found Noah rummaging madly through the trunk, throwing clothes everywhere. The basin was in pieces by the fireside and her pillows were either ripped or thrown about. One had even made its way into the fire and Penelo noted with a frown that it would have to be her favorite one.
"Noah," she called to him gently, readying herself to bolt back out the door at the first sign of aggression.
His blonde head whipped up and turned towards her. His blue-grey eyes held the look of a wild caged animal and Penelo started to think that maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all. He attempted to stand and winced in pain as he fell back down again. He snarled and Penelo took another cautious step towards him.
"It's alright Noah, I'm here." She spoke tenderly as though to a little boy.
She watched as his eyes frantically searched her features as though he was trying to figure out who she was. They widened a fraction as he cocked his head to the side in confusion.
"Mother?" he questioned with a whimper and Penelo's breath caught in her throat.
"Shh Noah," she hushed him softly taking another step towards him, "you need to calm down."
"I did not mean it, I swear I did not," he pleaded with her and Penelo could feel the sting of tears forming at her eyes.
He struggled to make his way towards her and Penelo tossed aside her fear and covered the distance quickly. She knelt down and he grabbed for her face pulling her down to him and into his chest. She let him hold her for a moment before pushing away. He again made an attempt to hold her, but she placed a hand to his cheek and he stopped, looking at her with fear and new recognition.
Penelo stroked her hand tenderly against the side of his face and watched as his eyes closed in anguish. She positioned herself to lean against the trunk and cradled him to her the best she could. Noah put up no fight this time and she felt his body shudder as she ran her fingers through his hair.
"Forgive me," the man said brokenly.
"Oh Noah," Penelo breathed out in sorrow as she hugged him tightly to her while tears began to trickle down her cheeks.
"I killed the Dalmascan king. I killed that boy's brother. I would have let Vayne kill my own brother. I do not deserve to live." He forced out dejectedly and she could tell he was now shedding tears of his own.
"Shh Noah," Penelo soothed sadly and rested her cheek to the top of his head.
"Why am I not condemned?" he said with a disconsolate passion and turned his head to the side, his misted blue-grey eyes staring off at some unknown sight.
"Because Noah, your brother forgave you," she whispered sorrowfully and drew her head down so her lips rested against his temple, "and so have I."
"You should just condemn me," he whispered sadly as she placed her hand gently over his heart.
Penelo kissed his temple softly, as any mother would, and his eyelids fluttered closed. She could feel the quickened pace of his heartbeat slow and listened as his breathing became less sporadic and more even. He was falling asleep and even though he was a heavy burden, Penelo knew that she would not move to wake him. She had seen Vaan through Reks death and even though he had hated himself for letting Reks go, he had never wanted to die.
Supinelu entered the hut some moments later and Penelo raised her head from Noah's and smiled sadly. He motioned for the healer to come in and the elder Garif inspected the now unwrapped bindings and was relieved to find no further damage. He wrapped the cast anew and then with Supinelu's help, hefted Noah off Penelo and carried him to his cot and laid him down. The sleeping man began to mumble in protest until Penelo settled herself beside him on the cot, resting her head on his shoulder.
The healer left the hut and Supinelu nodded in satisfaction before draping a blanket over the two and leaving. Penelo draped her arm about Noah's chest, resting her hand on his heart and he instinctively drew his arm about her protectively as he slept on. Penelo sighed and gave him a sad smile then closed her eyes and fell asleep.
