Chapter Ten: Trust and Faith
Olan was late, of course, but it couldn't be helped. Tucking the parchment into the thick book in his hand, he shrugged past a small group of soldiers, ignoring the annoyed hiss one sent his way as he pushed past. If they'd known who he really was, they'd probably respect him a lot more. Such was the result of seldom actually working alongside the other Southern Sky troops.
As one of the Nanten Investigators, he was forced into a deal of secrecy. Few people, even in his own ranks, knew of his relation to the renowned Thunder God, and even fewer knew what his real mission was. Smiling silently at himself, the young Astronomer opened the heavy chamber door, almost dropping his papers in the process.
Orlandu was already seated across from the knight in question, and he nodded to his adoptive son, motioning to a chair. Olan took his seat directly across from the young Beoulve. Silence reigned in the room and Olan took a moment to look over Ramza, impressed with his calm air.
"Ramza Beoulve." He said, clearing his throat. "Do you know why you've been called here?"
The Captain nodded shallowly, cool hazel eyes locked onto Olan, his hands clasped on the table in front of him.
"Good, it saves me the trouble of explaining." Olan said with a small smile. "So please, briefly describe for me what forced you to abandon your duties and set off for Zaland."
Ramza sat silently for a moment, deep in thought. He looked like hell. Deep circles had formed under his eyes, from a lack of sleep and physical weariness, yet he seemed rather composed. This meeting had been called not a moment after he had returned, while the others in his party received medical attention.
"A man came here, to the garrison, with a message from my brothers."
"Who was this man?" Olan said quickly, cutting him off.
"His name was Gafgarion."
"The Touten?" Orlandu asked, his brow furrowing.
"Yes."
"I fought with him in the fifty-year-war. I believed him to be dead."
"He's very much alive, and in the employ of the Northern Sky."
"Very well," Cid replied dismissively. "Continue."
"Gafgarion told me I was to come to the Golgorand Gallows, alone, or the price to be paid would be my sister's life."
"Your sister, Lady Alma, correct?" Olan asked, not bothering to wait for a response. "Why didn't you report this?"
"Why would I? Alma was not of the Southern Sky, and was of no concern of the Nanten. I had to act immediately, on peril of her life."
"That was when you left alone?"
"Yes. I set out to the execution site, by myself. Gafgarion was waiting for me."
"Of course he was." Olan said. "It was obviously a trap."
"Even so, I had to go." Ramza said, sighing. "My brothers wished to have me captured, though I'm surprised they didn't actually use my sister against me. She remained at Orbonne Monastery, where she often studied."
"So you escaped from the Touten?"
"We fought, I won."
Olan felt his head snap back slightly. He hadn't expected to hear that. From what he'd heard of the Beoulve he was a capable leader with some experience, but to think he was on par with a veteran Dark Knight was something of a shock. Olan frowned, glancing over at Cid's stoic countenance, before he continued.
"Did you kill him?"
"No." Ramza said, a hint of pride touching his voice. "I offered him quarter, and he left without incident."
"Strange." Cid interjected. "That doesn't sound like the Gaff I remember."
"After that," Olan continued. "You set off for Orbonne?"
"I did. I had to be sure Alma was safe, and it was there that Gafgarion met me once more. He told me that a Templar had been captured in Zaland, and that it was Meliadoul Tingel."
"Why did he decide to tell you, an enemy, about her?"
"He knew that she was working with the Nanten, and sought to repay me for sparing his life."
There was truth in his words, but Olan could sense there were details missing. The knight was definitely holding something back. Olan decided not to pursue the matter, as he doubted he would be able to get much more out of him on the subject.
"I left for Zaland immediately, and Alma made for the garrison to tell Izlude what was happening. I knew that I wouldn't be able to rescue Lady Tingel alone, and ordered him to help me. I take full responsibility.
"No doubt he would have gone without your orders." Orlandu noted.
"Likely he would have, but I saved him the choice."
"Tell me about that, the rescue." Olan said calmly, tracing a finger over the tome in front of him.
"It was simple enough. We went in, met some resistance from the Bart Trading Company, who had taken her, and got her out. We also rescued Mustadio Bunanza, who was also a prisoner of theirs."
Olan shot a look at his father, seeing his own thoughts mirrored in the older man. They remained silent for a long moment, before Olan finally spoke.
"Ramza," He began casually, looking down at his parchments. "What do you know of stones?"
There was a long pause, as the man stared over at him, a blank look on his face. Either he had no idea what Olan was talking about, or he was very good at keeping his emotions hidden.
"Not much I'm afraid. I can throw one rather accurately, but that's about it." He said finally, frowning and glancing at Orlandu. "Are the others doing well Cid? I should like to check on them."
Olan glared over at the knight, leaning forward. This boy had the audacity, after what he had just done, to become informal with the General of the entire Southern Sky?
"Captain Beoulve," Olan said pointedly. "Do you understand how serious your actions are? You went against your standing orders, and attacked civilians in a free city with no proved provocation. You could be tried and executed for this!"
Ramza said nothing. He simply stared over at Cid, his face calm and his manner unassuming. Olan quickly felt his anger slip away, for he was never one to hold to it, and wondered just what the young knight was thinking. This was a very serious inquiry, and he seemed to care for the others that had returned with him over his own well-being.
"The Hokuten are gathering to the north, near Gulofavia Valley." Orlandu said casually. "We're marching out to meet them in the morning. Are your Blades combat ready?"
"Aside from Izlude," Ramza replied instantly. "We can leave at first light, if you wish it."
Olan glanced over at Cid, confused. Did his father hold so much stock in this boy that he would leave him in command of his soldiers even after he had so blatantly disregarded orders? There had to be something Olan was missing.
"I'll have orders sent to your quarters. You may leave now."
The Beoulve stood, pushing his chair back in and making his way to the door. He paused there, glancing back at them.
"What of the machinists and my sister?"
"Mustadio and Besrodio are free to return to Goug whenever they wish. I have already drafted an escort for them. As for Lady Alma, that is entirely up to her. She may remain here as a ward of the Southern Sky until the war is over, or I can have her escorted back to Orbonne as well."
"I believe she will want to stay here, for now. Thank you." Ramza said finally, before slipping out of the door.
The door had hardly swung shut before Olan turned to Cid, tossing his hands up in desperation.
"Father, what was that all about?"
"He knows something." Orlandu said quietly. "We already suspected Bart Company was working alongside the Cardinal. Ramza, now, knows as well."
"The man hardly blinked when I mentioned the Holy Stones."
"As long as Ramza has been in the service of the Southern Sky, he has never called me by my first name. I think, my boy, he doesn't trust you."
"Trust me? He's the one who is acting irrationally!"
"He acts as I expect any man would, when those he loved were in danger."
"I suppose." Olan agreed grudgingly, leaning back in his chair.
"Do you still talk to your girlfriend in Murond?"
"Valmafra isn't my girlfriend, as I've said a dozen times."
"Oh, that's a pity. She's quite the rare flower."
"You're a perverted old codger, did you know that?"
"Meet with her." Cid ordered, his face serious. "See if she has heard anything about Zaland."
"Do you think Ramza learned that much there?"
"I believe he may know more than we do, at this point."
Clutching his shoulder, cursing, Wiegraf stumbled into the alley. His face was slick with sweat and his hair soaked with the falling rain. Leaning against the wall, he gripped the shaft of the wood imbedded in his shoulder, and snapped it. The arrow had thankfully missed its mark, but it still hurt plenty and slowed him down. He pushed on, trudging through the mud and water as his pursuers closed the gap.
He ducked into another side street as lightning flashed through the night sky. He knew he was heading into a dead end, but had nowhere else to go. The Northern Sky wouldn't ever stop searching for him, and he was tired of running. So the knight turned, his back to the wall, and drew his sword. If he was going to die, he was going to take as many of them with him as he could.
Panting, adjusting his grip on the wet hilt of his blade, he watched as the Hokuten slipped into the alley. There were four of them left of the six that had attacked him, and as good as Wiegraf was with a sword, he knew he couldn't escape this. He wasn't even sure he wanted to any longer. The man had spent too long running, living on the fringe, waiting for the world to forget about him. Fate was not kind to the Folles family, and he accepted that, though he hated having to meet Miluda without being able to avenge her.
"Come on then, you bastards!" He cried out, raising his sword.
He heard the sound of a bowstring being drawn taut, saw the archer aim at him, and then he didn't know what was happening. An explosion of light and sound illuminated the darkness, forcing Wiegraf to shield his eyes, and when he looked again the archer fell in a heap. The remaining Hokuten, panicked and with weapons drawn, were unable to find their attacker before they died. Several more holy sword strikes cut them down in a moment, and Wiegraf back against the wall.
St. Konoe Knights, here? But why would the Northern Sky fall on itself?
"I always hated Dorter." A man said as he stepped out of the darkness. "It's so filthy here."
Wiegraf recognized the robes immediately, and kept his sword at the ready. Shrine Knights had no business this far north, and seeing one here made him even more wary. The man in the blue Templar robe sheathed his blade, glancing at the scattered corpses around him, before he walked toward Wiegraf.
"I must say Lord Folles, you're quite the difficult one to track down."
"What do you want?" Wiegraf snarled, keeping his blade up.
"Straight to the point. I like that." He replied, a dark smile touching his lips. "What we want is you."
As days turned into weeks, Meliadoul found she was useless as a representative of Murond. It was clear immediately after the Nanten victory at Gulofavia that the Southern Sky had no interest in peace. The Hokuten were pushed back to Lesalia, where they held firm. There would be no surprise attack on the Capital now, with at least half Larg's forces entrenched within it.
Rumor was another army, nearly as large as the one garrisoned there, marched toward Bethla. The Northern Sky was far from out of the fight, and despite the famine that was ravaging both sides of the conflict no peace talks were set into motion. Mel could see the frustration in the faces of the Nanten throughout the fort, heard the whispers of dissention all around. There was talk that Count Orlandu himself was growing weary of the war, and had been reprimanded for his words against it.
Unless one of the two armies broke soon, they would starve themselves into a stalemate that would leave them vulnerable to outside attack. The Lion War was killing Ivalice, despite the Church's best attempts to find a solution. Distantly Mel wondered if her father was faring even a little better with Larg, but judging from the ferocity with which the Hokuten troops fought, she doubted it.
Her frustration was increased tenfold with Izlude's absence. He and Ramza were gone more often than not; diving behind enemy lines over and over again to disrupt their movement. It was obvious they were successful, but the missions were becoming more difficult as the Hokuten learned to expect their raids. Each time they left, Meliadoul was more concerned for her brother.
She'd barely spoken with Ramza since the day they had returned to Bethla, and the knight seemed to have an uncanny knack for avoiding her. He made sure that there was never a chance for them to be alone together, and he never lingered with her in conversation. Mel knew he was avoiding the inevitable questions she had for him, and it was grating on her nerves.
The only thing keeping her from confronting him openly in front of everyone was that Ramza, true to his word, kept Izlude safe. The Captain would come back in worse shape after every attack, perhaps because he was giving her brother less dangerous assignments.
That morning, when Meliadoul had woken, she found the Sagittarius Stone sitting next to her bed. Ramza had crept into her room and left it for her, and that alone had forced her hand. She could no longer ignore the situation, ignore her duty as a Templar, out of respect for the man.
She knew the Blades were heading out on a late night raid, and now was as good a time as ever to confront him. So she stood not far from his chambers, leaning against the stone wall with arms crossed, and waited. It wasn't long before Ramza, dressed for battle, slipped out of his room. The Beoulve barely glanced at her as he approached, but Meliadoul moved right in front of him.
"Where is Taurus?"
Ramza said nothing. He simply stared at her for a long moment, his eyes searching hers. For what, she couldn't say. The silence dragged on, before Ramza finally walked right past her. Mel felt her anger spike as the man ignored her, and she rounded on him.
"Don't you walk away from me Ramza!" Meliadoul shouted, grabbing his breastplate and forcing him to face her.
"You can't have it." He said simply, his expression cool.
"The hell I can't." She shot back. "Those stones are meant to be in the protection of the Templarate."
"You have Sagittarius. Leave this alone." Ramza said, his calm slowly cracking.
"No. If you won't give it up, I'll take it by force."
She hadn't been prepared for his speed. Before she could blink, Ramza shoved her backward so fast her hood slipped from her head, and he pinned her arms against the wall with his hands. Chest to chest, his face so close she could feel his breath on her cheek, she finally saw Ramza Beoulve's anger.
They stood in silence for a long moment, the tension in the air thick, as his eyes searched hers again. She glared back at him, realizing just how much strength the young man held in his slim form. Meliadoul hadn't seen what he was capable of, this slayer of demons, but Izlude had told her, and now she could see the part of him he held back; The face none saw.
Without thinking, without even realizing what she was doing, she leaned into Ramza, and kissed him. She expected him to pull back, to release her and step away, but he didn't. If anything the man pressed against her, returning the gesture in kind. Mel jerked her arms free from his grip, slipping slender fingers into the gap in his chest piece, and pulled Ramza even harder against her.
She felt his hands slide across her back, practically crushing her against his armored chest in this unexpected moment of passion. Their lips separated only to come back together again and again, neither willing to break contact but both knowing it shouldn't be happening in the first place. After several long moments, Ramza finally broke free, his breath still hot on her lips, and stumbled back. They stood in shocked silence, both breathing heavily.
What the hell was that? I didn't come up here for him. I came for the damn stone!
Meliadoul knew she was lying to herself, and hated that she couldn't even depend on self deception to justify herself. She hadn't kissed him to try and coax him into giving up Taurus. She hadn't even thought of trying that. It hadn't been the stone that had driven her to come to him, and distantly Mel wondered if it had ever been the stone she wanted, or the man carrying it.
"In my room." Ramza said finally, running one hand through blonde hair.
"Ha!" Mel replied with a sharp laugh. "What kind of woman do you take me for?"
He glanced sideways at her, a small smile touching his lips. The knight palmed something out of his armor, and turned to her. Ramza got so close that she swore he was going to kiss her again, her heart jumping into her throat for a moment. Instead he took her hand in his, slipped something into it, and closed her fingers.
"The chest next to the bed. Show no one else. When you're done, go and see my sister. She'll explain everything."
The knight leaned down slightly, pressing his lips against her fingers, before he dropped her hand and walked away. Mel watched him go, confused, before she opened her hand. The small key fit neatly into her palm. After a final glance at Ramza, as he rounded the corner and disappeared, she walked back to his room.
She found the chest easily enough, and pulled it up onto Ramza's bed next to her. Mel opened it without hesitation, the two stones reflecting the nearby candlelight. They rested upon a rather thick tome which looked old enough to belong to St. Ajora himself, and Meliadoul felt her breath catch as she realized what the second stone was.
Virgo? But… how? That's the keepsake of the Royal Family.
Carefully the woman moved the stones to the side, and pulled the book onto her lap. Opening it, Meliadoul was met with faded text, in a language she didn't recognize. Along the margin was more recent ink, with what seemed to be a translation.
"This is written by a follower of St. Ajora, Germonik…"
Gasping, her hand shot up to cover her lips. She knew all too well the story of Germonik, the man who betrayed Ajora to the Yudora Empire. She stared at those words for a long moment, before placing the chest back on the floor and laying the book on the bed. Meliadoul rolled onto her stomach and turned the page, eyes crawling across the ancient parchment as she soaked in Ramza's scent.
Author's Note: Here lies a few of the missing pieces from Chapter Nine, as originally intended. The Olan interview was a last minute change, as I originally planned to have Ramza explain to Meliadoul instead. However I felt, given Olan's position in the story and the game, this would be a good introduction point. Not everything that happened between Gafgarion and Ramza is revealed, but that sums it up. Ramza went to Orbonne, Simon gave him the scriptures and Virgo, and then he saved Mel. One thing isn't included in that, but it will be revealed in time.
I think this chapter fits, but I have this nagging feeling I'm bouncing around and being confusing. If you're lost, let me know, so I can fix things. I'm posting an edit of Chapter Nine to clear up something. Ramza's favor from Gafgarion wasn't the rescue of Mel, that was something Gafgarion chose to do on his own. Ramza asked for something else first, which is the remaining piece to be missing from Chapter Nine. You also are starting to see some of the other characters who will be making an appearance in the story, including Wiegraf and Balmafula. I'll be bouncing between PoVs in the next chapter or two, because I have plot to cover before you get to see how Bethla is going to turn out.
On a final note, I'm posing a thread for the story in the Forums in an attempt to get some people in there and give everyone the opportunity to discuss different story and plot points for all FFTactics stories. This game is way too good to not be discussed, right? So I encourage everyone to get over there and do some theorycrafting!