Chapter Nine - Sights
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The road to Baticul was comfortable, if not long. The weather was still humid because of the rainstorm earlier, and looked to rain again later. However, for now, the sun was lighting past the thin clouds, giving the group a field patched with shadows to walk across. They stopped once to take a break.
"Man, how much further is it?" Luke planted himself in the shade of a tree and leaned back on his arms. "I'm not used to walking around this much."
Anise sat down next to him and sighed deeply. "No kidding. Couldn't we at least take a coach or something?"
"And here I thought we could make a whole trip without any complaints," Jade remarked with a disappointed shrug. "But I suppose we can take a short break."
"How can you expect no complaints when we're practically walking across the country?" Luke asked incredulously.
Tear seated herself and pulled out an assortment of ingredients from her bag. She sat silently, making herself a meal, while everyone else watched. The girl paused and looked up. "What?"
"What are you doing?" Anise asked.
"I'm making some rice balls. Do you want some?" She gave everyone else a curious look, but no one accepted. "Alright."
"I guess cooking can be pretty important when you're on a long trip," Guy commented, leaning against the shading tree. "Good thinking, Tear."
"I'm used to it. My brother...Van, used to do it all the time when we went on walks together." She stopped there, and continued with her food. After a small silence, she resumed, "You know, I've only been with you all one day, and you already treat me like family. Taking me to Baticul, welcoming me into your home, and even providing me with food. I appreciate it." She looked up and smiled tenderly at her new friends.
Luke stood and stretched dramatically. "Yeah, no problem. We're all strangers, and I guess we're all friends too. Just accept it." With the jerk of his head, he said, "Let's get going."
Guy and Jade sighed simultaneously. "Who put him in charge?" Guy asked Jade.
"Hey, we're going to my city, to see my parents. That puts me in charge." He walked ahead, and the other four only exchanged glances.
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Baticul, built in a deep crater, was as busy and industrial as ever. Luke raced up the stairs and waited for the others at the elevator. "Come on, hurry up!"
"What's got you so excited? I thought you hated the manor!" Guy looked up at the elevator. "We're just going to see your parents and maybe His Majesty." The others arrived and the elevator lurched towards them.
"I know, but I guess I'm kind of homesick," Luke admitted. They boarded the elevator, cramming it completely. "Damn, they need to build these bigger."
"We'll be lucky if this doesn't break because of our weight," Jade pointed out, smiling optimistically. Anise sighed, and Luke grabbed the rail in fear. It jerked and grinded unpleasantly up the city.
Once they reached the top, Luke headed for the manor. "Hey, maybe we should go see His Majesty first," Guy suggested, pointing at the enormous castle. "I have to ask him something, and Princess Natalia will want to see you again."
"That weird chick?" Luke made a face, but followed. Anise bounded happily to his side.
"Oh, are you and her engaged? That's so sweet!" Her sepia eyes grew starry.
"H-how'd you know that?" Luke asked, bewildered at the small girl's knowledge.
"Duh, why else would she want to see you?" Anise shook her head. "You can be so dense, Luke."
Luke almost said something in argument, but resisted. They were inside the castle. Lavish purples and blues greeted them, and a steep, centered staircase towered before them. "You know where to find Princess Natalia, so I'll meet up with you all later." Guy made his way up the stairs to King Ingobert's Audience Hall.
Luke scoffed in annoyance. "Why do I have to go talk to her?"
Anise latched onto the redhead's arm and leaned against him. "I want to meet her!" she purred.
"Get off me!"
"What's all the shouting?" A woman about Luke's age emerged from the western door, arms folded importantly. "Please, not in the cast-! Luke!" She ran toward him as fast as she could in her formal attire. "You're back!"
"Well, for now..." Luke rolled his eyes. "Guy went to talk to Uncle. He'll be back later. That's why we're here."
"Oh, it's so good to see you again!" The girl eyed Anise, who was still clinging to Luke, then turned to Jade and Tear. "My, who are all these people?"
"Uh, right. I forgot." Prying Anise off, Luke turned to the other two. "Everyone, this is Princess Natalia of Kimlasca-Lanvaldear. You should've already known that though."
Jade stepped forward and took Natalia's hand in his own, kneeling. "It is an honor to be in your presence, Princess," he said, kissing her gloved hand smoothly. As he rose, Natalia nodded in acknowledgment, blushing faintly. "I'm Colonel Jade Curtiss, Third Division Malkuth Imperial Forces."
Tear bowed awkwardly, ashamed of her lack of manners. "I'm Tear Grants, a soldier of the Oracle Knights."
Extending her hand ever-proudly, Anise said, "And I'm Anise Tatlin, Oracle Knights Fon Master Guard! It's nice to finally meet you!" Natalia shook her hand uneasily, the boisterous girl a bit too enthusiastic for her tastes.
"It's a pleasure to meet you all." Natalia turned back to Luke. "This is quite the group you have here. A rather motley crew if I do say so myself." Anise scowled at the statement. "Oh, I'm sorry, little girl. You have me all wrong."
"My name is Anise..." she mumbled.
"Yeah, but they're all nice and helpful and stuff, so don't worry about them." Luke looked up to see Guy coming back down the stairs. "Guess we're heading for the manor now. See ya!" Luke was gone in a flash, and Natalia sighed.
"Why can't he be like he was when he proposed to me?" she asked abjectly. Her eyes were sorrowful, but she regained composure. "Well, thank you all for taking care of Luke." With that, she was gone.
Outside the castle, Luke was waiting. "There you all are. Let's go!" They approached the manor, Luke walking ahead of them all. "And to think I used to hate this place. It's good to be home!"
Anise stopped short and squinted at the entrance. "Who's that?" She pointed at a figure standing outside the manor, staring at the sign. "A visitor?"
The visitor turned at the sound of a voice, resentment strong on his features. He narrowed his eyes, an autumn wind stirring his wine-colored mane. "Replica..." he hissed under his breath.
"It's Asch," Jade said, stopping in surprise. "This is unexpected."
"What are you doing here?" Luke shouted, hastily grabbing his sword. "Get away from my home!"
"Your home?!" Asch bit back, also fingering his weapon. "Stay back, worthless dreck!"
"Wh-who're you calling worthless?!" Luke raised his sword and rashly brought it down on Asch. But the stranger sidestepped easily, and a maid was almost severed as she approached the two from the manor entrance.
"Aah!" she screamed, freezing where she was at as the steel flashed before her. "G-good morning, Master Luke!" she forced her energetic personality.
Luke sheathed his sword. "Sorry." He and Asch exchanged hateful glares. The maid stepped forward, positioning herself below the arches of the manor entrance.
"W-would you like to come in, Master Luke, and...Master Luke's brother?" The maid's smile trembled as she bowed deeply. "Please follow me, everyone." They all complied and walked into the shining manor, perfectly polished floors squeaking beneath their shoes.
"Madam Fabre has been anxiously awaiting your return," the maid chirped, looking at Asch. "She's been very worried." Asch rolled his eyes, and Luke blinked in confusion. "In fact, His Grace has set up a nice dinner for you this evening, and all of your friends." They took another turn, down a long hallway. "And you certainly have a large group with you. Why, I've only been working for His Grace for so long, so I never knew you had a brother!" She looked back at Luke, then Asch, then laughed nervously.
"Uh, I'll take it from here," Guy interjected, and the anonymous maid bowed and ran off. "Sorry, she can be a bit...she's new." Tear nodded, watching the frightened girl run away.
They finally stopped outside a large door. "Well, this is Madam Fabre's room," Guy continued with the introduction. After a small silence, Guy said, "I guess we're all going in, huh?"
Asch backed up. "I'm not. I'm outta here!"
"No!" Luke grabbed his arm to stop him. "Maybe I can find out just who you are if my parents see you." Asch attempted to pull away, but Luke held him unyeildingly.
"I can't go in there!" Asch argued persistently. "I didn't even intend to enter the manor. Let go!"
"Let him go, Luke," Jade said, resting his hand on Luke's. "You can solve this mystery later, but right now, we need to inform your mother of your safe return."
Luke paused before pulling his hand off Asch loathingly. "Hmph, fine." Asch shot him a fierce look, turned to Madam Fabre's room, and left in the opposite direction. They could hear the maid from earlier ask, "Leaving so soon, Master Luke?"
"Come on, I want to meet your mother!" said Anise, who had been quiet too long. "Plus I'm starving, and that dinner sounds good." They opened the door and stepped inside. It was a nice room, cozy yet royal. A woman was seated, staring hopelessly at the floor until she heard them enter.
"Luke, is that you?" Susanne stood from her place on her bed and embraced him warmly. "It's good to see you're alright. Is everything going fine?"
"Yeah, the research and experiments and all that...it's all fine," Luke said, averting his gaze. He couldn't help but think about his own suspicion though.
"Who are these lovely guests?" She asked, clasping her hands together and looking at each of them. The introductions went as they did with Princess Natalia, and Susanne was quite taken with them all. "Well, you should go get ready for the feast, Luke. We know you'll be away even longer after this, so we want to properly say good-bye, in case..." she trailed off, still smiling weakly.
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The dinner was at the table in the Drawing Room. The best of Kimlascan foods were served to Duke Fabre, Susanne, Luke, and the other four guests. It was early, the sun still up, but low. The air was quiet and tense, yet the Duke made conversation regardless.
"Well, I do appreciate your kindness and patience with our son's amnesia. I hope your country manages to find the cure, and maybe Luke will someday regain his memories of this family." The Duke kept his focus on Jade, cautious of anything he might say or do that would give anything away.
The colonel nodded. "And I thank you for lending me your son so that my country has hope for medical improvements. It must be difficult for you, seeing that Luke had been so recently traumatized by the kidnapping. For you to let someone from an opposing country borrow your son is truly generous."
"Yes, I had been talking to my brother about peace between Malkuth and Kimlasca, but he won't listen. Not to mention war is already underway." The Duke shook his head sadly. "I wish I could do something about it."
Tear looked up from her plate. "If that's how you really feel, the Order of Lorelei council is also considering peace, much against Grand Maestro Mohs's wishes. Maybe you could talk to them about it in Daath."
Duke Fabre nodded thoughtfully. "Yes, perhaps so." He turned to Guy. "Ah, did you talk to the King about the issue concerning the replication facility we saw?"
Jade nearly choked on his water as Guy opened his mouth to confirm the meeting. "Excuse me, concerning the what?" Jade asked in alarm.
The duke raised his eyebrows at the outburst, but it was Guy who spoke. "Duke Fabre and I saw an uncharted building somewhere, and when soldiers went to excavate it, they classified it as an old building with strange machinery in it. Later, they determined the machines, having been recently used, were built for creating clones of things, such as animals. I don't really know the details though."
Jade glanced over at Luke, who was thankfully not listening, then turned back to the duke. "Could you tell me the location of this facility?"
"If you're planning on exploring it, then it's around the city of St. Binah. It shouldn't be hard to find." The duke smiled sharply. "More Malkuth research?"
"This is personal," Jade said coldly, dropping the subject.
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After the dinner, Luke stood in his room. "So...bored. I want to go back to research." He thudded his head against the wall and sighed. "Why was I excited about the manor to begin with? This place sucks."
"If that's what you think, would you join me on a walk?" Luke jumped at the sound of the voice in his doorway. Jade was standing there, hands in his pockets, smiling contently. "Or you could sit around here sulking for the rest of the evening."
"I-I'll be right there," Luke said. He pulled his coat back on as Jade headed outside.
The citizens of Baticul were beginning to close up for the night, a chilly wind blowing steadily. The streets became deserted as the two made their way across the dusky stone paths. Reddish light poured across the city pavement, making the orange-red flags appear more brilliant. As cool as the night was, the sun was still warming.
They walked mostly in silence and soon were approaching the port. The ominous dahlia sun had yet to sink below the mottled green sea, lighting it with rays of the thickest cardinal red. A few people lingered near the dock, staring mournfully at the sun.
"Wow," Luke said as they neared the gently splashing edge. "I never saw sunsets like this when I lived in the manor."
Jade stopped, adjusting his glasses as the ever-present wind current blew out of the west. "Yes, it is quite beautiful." Seagulls called to one another merrily, dancing across the purple-orange sky. The red spilling across the ocean reminded him too much of the blood of his enemies. Cringing, he turned away. "It must've been bad for you, in the manor."
Luke turned also. "Well...yeah, it was. I hated being trapped up in there all the time. That's why I was so eager to go with you." He looked up in the direction of the castle. "To get away from everything there."
Jade nodded knowingly, and closed his eyes. "And you like being trapped in a research laboratory better?"
"At least you let me come to see my family. Plus Guy's there, and those two girls, Tear and Anise. And..." He stopped. After a passing silence, Luke turned back to the sunset. The giant, fiery orb had just begun its descent below the water horizon. It surged its remaining rays across the violet sky, creating streams of warmth through the mauve clouds.
"I appreciate your trust in me," Jade said blankly, as he faced the light again. He walked to Luke and placed his gloved hand on the boy's shoulder. "I never knew what it felt like to miss one's parents. So I'll make sure you don't experience the same neglect I did." The colonel bowed his head to hide the pain of his past memories.
"Did you not have parents?" Luke asked with concern, as the sun continued to efface beneath the sea. When Jade didn't respond, Luke bit his lip and turned further from him. "I'm sorry. I guess you don't want to talk about it."
But to his surprise, Jade smiled honestly. "It's alright. The past is the past, and the present," he touched Luke's hand so their eyes finally met, "Is the present."
They again looked to the ocean in unison, and saw the last effort of the sun, until it was gone. They let dusk set in before heading back, the brilliant reds from earlier turning into pale indigo. Leaden footpaths were near silent beneath their boots as they came close to the manor.
Inside, velvety carpets muffled their footsteps and Jade escorted Luke back to his room. "Tomorrow, I'm going to do some investigating on my own, so I'll walk part of the way back to the castle with you. Guy will take care of you all before I get back," Jade informed him.
"When will you be back?" Luke entered his room, but stayed facing Jade.
"Sometime in the afternoon, depending on when we head back from here." With a final nod, he said, "Have a good sleep anyway."
Luke nodded too and closed the door as the man walked off. With a sigh, he lied in his bed and shut off the light. Closing his eyes, he thought he felt something he hadn't felt all his life. He thought it was trust, or security, or maybe just simple bliss, but none of those words seemed to fit.
When he finally thought of the right word, he smiled to himself and fell deep into sleep.
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A/N: Anybody know what it is:D Review please.