And now the princess herself has learned about Telma. The question that remains is, what will Telma gain from recovering her memory and at what is the risk?
And our bad boy Leon spills the beans when he shouldn't be. *sarcastic* Way to make a crack on trust, buddy boy!
Anyways, pretty soon things our rebels are going to make a trip to look for a blatantly obvious evil airship and crap is gonna get really big...
That being said, hope you enjoy!
I own nothing of Final Fantasy 2 except my OCs.
Read, leave a review, but no flames allowed.
Chapter 12: Lost Memories and Secrets
Later on in the evening, just as they had returned from their business in the armory, the four young rebels were intercepted by Minwu and were instructed to meet with the princess to discuss about certain matters that needed to be settled. Telma and Firion knew what this meant since they were sure that the white wizard had already given the summary of what he learned to Princess Hilda; however, Maria, Guy, and Nikolas were not aware of what happened back in Poft, so they felt they were kept in the dark about what had transpired without their knowledge. In the case of Mingzhu, she had trouble understanding what the matter was about; even though she was reassured that she'll learn what the matter is soon enough.
When they arrived in the briefing room, the princess was waiting for them, and it was easy to tell that there was something on her mind that needed to be taken seriously.
"I apologize about this inconvenience, but I had to ask all of you to come speak with me before we rest. I heard from Minwu all that transpired, and now I have a question that requires answers from you," Hilda explained. She looked over to Firion and Telma. "Tell me, is there any particular information that you have kept hidden from us since you came here? I heard from Minwu that one of you has a problem that I wasn't aware of until now. Could you perhaps reveal to me in detail what the matter is about?"
Firion hung his head shamefully, knowing that the truth has leaked out. "I guess Minwu gave you a summary about it, didn't he? Well, unfortunately, there is something we hadn't told all of you about since we were brought here."
Now it was Maria and Guy's turn to be confused about what the situation was.
"What Princess talking about?" Guy questioned.
"What brought all this on? We haven't done anything offensive, and Telma hasn't done anything that would spark suspicion…" Maria started to ask, but faltered when she saw Firion's guilty look. "…Didn't she, Firion?"
The moment Mingzhu heard this, she couldn't help looking over to her brother, to the young rebels, and to the princess and back; it was clear that the female white mage felt like she was completely missing whatever the subject is.
"Wait, whoa, did I miss something here? What's going on, Minwu?" she questioned, grilling for answers. "C'mon, somebody 'fess up and tell me what manner of suspicions or accusations is being brought up!"
"White wizard knows. Knows Telma has secrets," Guy answered, catching on what's going on.
Maria paled when she realized what the situation was, and in turn, she started to feel guilt and embarrassment creeping across her spine.
When Telma knew where everything was going and, knowing that Firion has practically spilled the beans to the white wizard when he was pressured into, she decided that she might as well give what she knew to the princess herself since it would be hard for the rest of her friends to try and explain their efforts to hide everything about her.
"Unfortunately, everything that Minwu told you through Firion is true. I do have a problem, and it's not what you thought before," Telma confessed, "And I won't even bother to lie: I do have amnesia, and have had it for two years."
Hilda, upon hearing this, was quite shocked to hear about this. "Is that what ails you all along? I never would have guessed that."
Well, you've come this far…don't stop now, Telma thought. She took a breath and gave her side of the story. "My first memories were a blur…barely catching glimpses of people that I didn't know before blacking out. When I woke up, I found myself in another person's home with Firion next to me. When asked by those who took me in, I could only remember my name. I had no memories of my birthplace, of what country I lived in; of my family…basically, I couldn't remember everything." She shook her head. "Firion, Maria, Guy, and Leon – along with the kind couple that brought me in – tried to find something, anything, to jog my memory to no avail. That's why I've lived with them…until the war showed up at our doorstep. And yet, after all that has happened, I'm starting to question what it is I have forgotten. In fact, when I had met Josef, I thought I didn't know him at all – that is, until I had a dream that was actually a lost memory resurfacing from somewhere in the recesses of my mind. However…even now…I am beginning to question what to do now that more people know of me."
An unsettling silence filled the room even after she explained all that she knew to those present within the room, which made her wonder – and dread – what everyone thinks of her now that they know about her and what they might consider doing with her since her secrets have been exposed in an untimely fashion.
However, as the princess was taking in all that she had heard, the female white mage was seen to be scratching below her eye in contemplation about the situation they've gotten themselves into just as Minwu started to wonder what was on her mind about all of this.
"Jeez…who would've guessed that Telma was a stranger in a strange land, having appeared out of nowhere with no clue as to whom she is?" Mingzhu admitted, "To be honest, I've never heard of a situation like this before, nor have I ever thought that an amnesiac was walking among us undetected."
"Please, don't misunderstand how secretive we were at the time," Maria implored, "We were just trying to protect Telma until we could find something that could help us trace her origins."
"Search, we try. We help Telma. But…we find nothing," Guy added, shaking his head sadly.
That was when the princess remembered something. "If all of you know of Telma's problems, then did Leon know of it as well?"
That tugged at Firion's heartstrings a bit. "Yeah, he did…But if he's alive…I hate to think of anyone prying information out of him."
But then, Minwu quickly noticed that his younger sister seemed to be lost in her own thoughts as she started to slowly pace a bit, all the while tapping her cheek like she's trying to figure out what is clawing in her psyche. His curiosity getting the better of him, he decided to find out what was going on. Who knows? Perhaps whatever she's thinking might be helpful for a change…
"Is there something on your mind, sister?" he asked.
Mingzhu was silent for a moment, until she asked, "Hey, Minwu, our little band said that they hadn't been able to retrace where their friend came from, is that right?"
"Yes, that's exactly what they said. What are you getting at?" Minwu asked, his curiosity growing.
Firion caught on with this and approached the two. "What are you thinking?"
"Do you have an idea, Mingzhu?" Hilda questioned, intrigued as well.
"Well, I was just thinking: Telma has amnesia, right? She did say she had no memories of herself whatsoever until she met Josef and meeting him brought back a small fragment of said memories that she had lost before," Mingzhu explained. "Well, think about it: now that we know about Telma, and we know that she has problems with reconnecting with her past life, maybe we could do something to get the answers we – and she – needs! If we could find something that could jog Telma's memories, then that could help us learn more about her. Who knows? Maybe we might even be able to find out where she was born and who she was connected to in her past."
When Telma heard about this, she could tell that Minzhu certainly knew where she was going with her thoughts and her ideas were very legitimate. But even so, she wasn't sure whether she should go along with the idea since she doesn't know what proposition would be given as to how such a feasible plan could work; even if there is a possible way to restore her memory, she wasn't sure if she even wants to overcome her amnesia in the first place. In fact, she still feared the notion that whatever memories she had of her past were more negative than positive.
"But even if we could find anything that might be able to help her, what if someone finds out about her and tries to hunt her down?" Maria spoke up.
"What, are you saying that you don't want to help your friend?" Mingzhu questioned. "Man, I was so sure 'ignorance is bliss' has vanished after the empire attacked us."
Not wanting any arguments, Telma took a breath and said, "Listen, I appreciate that you want to help us. Really, I do. But what I have to ask is why you'd want to do so even after everything you've heard thus far. Would you really want to let me stick around once you've learned where I came from?"
This actually managed to catch everyone's attention the moment she asked that question. Out of them, the princess herself surprisingly understood was talking about, especially when she showed an uncanny sympathy to the confused and rather uneasy mage's dilemma; this proved to be more evident when she approached Telma and gently placed her hand on her shoulders to show well-meaning.
"Telma, I understand how you feel about this development. But at least try and understand that we needed to know what we're dealing with," Hilda explained to her gently, "Mingzhu does have a legit idea on how we could help you overcome your ailment, and if you are willing to go along with it, that is quite alright by all means. However, ultimately, it is not us who has to make that decision. The choice must be yours and yours alone." She paused for a moment. "Once you make your verdict on what you want to do with your memories, there is no turning back from it. But we will do what we can to help you. So, to make sure, let me ask you one question: do you want to get your memories back, or do you not? We will not dissuade you either way."
With the surprising decision given to her to determine, Telma couldn't believe that she was allowed the choice of what she wants to do with herself, which would very well impact where her life will go afterwards. As much as she had to question what the consequences would be if she chose to get the help she really needed, she knew that there would also be consequences for not wanting to go through with the ideas presented to her.
Unsure of what she should do, she turned over to her friends for any idea on what she should do for an answer. Maria shook her head, indicating that it wasn't her place to make the final decision. Guy shrugged his shoulders, indicating that he doesn't know what to say about it. But when she looked over to Firion, she could see different emotions going through him; on the one hand, he wanted to help her with choosing the best option, but on the other hand, his eyes strongly indicated that he was saying 'whatever you choose, we'll still support you through it' to her.
With that knowledge taken in, she came to understand that this was something she had wanted to do ever since she was discovered outside of Fynn; now that there is a possible way to retrace her roots, she as the opportunity to remember who she used to be and find out where she originally came from. Now that she has an idea of what she wants, Telma made her final say to settle the matter for good, knowing that she's reached the point of no return…
"…I want to get my memories back," Telma gave her choice.
An unsettling silence crept through the room for a moment when everyone heard her final decision; but thankfully, that was broken when – once she showed a puzzled look on her face like she wanted to know if she made a bad choice – the princess and the white wizard nodded in understanding.
"I see. That is your decision, and we shall accept that," Minwu said to break the silence. "I apologize if our prying into your affairs was disconcerting to you, really I do, but if there is something that needs to be known, there is no need to hide it from us."
"In any case, you should all get some rest while you can. We have more dangers ahead of us, and I would prefer not to exhaust all of you so much for the cause," Hilda added as she politely dismissed everyone.
When Tristan woke up, he could've sworn that his entire body felt rather stiff from remaining still for a long while; it didn't help when, as he was getting up, he felt a spell of dizziness hit him like a rock against his skull. This forced him to stay still for a moment until his perception could regain its senses.
"…Ugh, I hate it when that happens," he muttered lowly. "How long did I sleep…?"
"You slept for two days straight, General. The physician had a suspicion that would happen, considering your conditions."
Registering the familiar young voice, Tristan looked over to his right to find Leon standing outside the medical tent like he was expecting him. Sighing in disbelief at the news he was given, the old knight couldn't help but feel a bit mortified that he let that happen to him again.
"I take it the physician has business elsewhere, so you waited here for me to wake?" Tristan asked.
"You could say that. Or maybe because there's something I wanted to discuss with you as soon as you were awake," Leon replied, straight to the point.
The general froze at this, not sure what to expect. "What did you learn?"
"Earlier, you mentioned that someone called Marta as you spoke about those habits you have. I tried to ask the physician what you were talking about, but he told me that only you or the emperor would be able to answer the question," Leon answered, "The most I could hear was that this person was a mage, and was connected to you. Who is Marta, and what do you know about her?"
Tristan sighed deeply as he ruffled his greyed hair, trying to figure out what he should do about this new situation. It had been years, but nobody has ever questioned about his life to that extent; he couldn't lie that Leon was quite the persistent one, especially after how he got nosy the first time. However, since the cracks were starting to form, he might as well just let the defenses keep on cracking for the moment.
"Alright…if it'll sate your curiosity, I'll tell you what I can. But don't expect me to answer all of your questions. There are some secrets that should never be fully uncovered," Tristan warned sternly before he began explaining himself. "Back when I was new in my services as one of the heads of the military, it hadn't crossed my mind that things would completely change in the most unexpected sense. I thought nothing would change in the slightest, until word spread that a wandering mage was spotted within the country. Though it was a stretch, I was sent to track down that person, and find out who it is. I thought this mage was a man, but I was certainly wrong on all accounts."
That caught the young man's attention. "And that wandering mage was…?"
The old knight nodded. "Yes, that wandering mage I eventually located was a woman named Marta."
"In that case, who was Marta to you?" Leon asked, pressing for answers.
"After finding her and entering her into the services of the late emperor, she was one of few things that mattered most to me," Tristan replied, "In other words, she was my wife."
The instant Leon heard this; he was so certain that he felt like he had hit a wall headfirst. He didn't figure that this was what the old general knew about the entire time since he had gotten involved; even so, this was a lot to take in, since there was still so much he didn't know. But then, it got him thinking: if Marta was Tristan's wife, and he claimed that he had a daughter that went missing years ago, then who was their daughter? That was when his mind flashed back at that moment in the dungeon when the old knight had told him his belief that Telma – someone whom he knew ever since she was adopted in the family he had lost – and his daughter, also named Telma are one and the same or look-alikes. Could that mean…? No, it couldn't…That can't be true…
"General…you said that you had a daughter named Telma, didn't you?" Leon asked whilst his voice was quite shaky.
"Yes, I did mention that last we spoke," Tristan answered. He raised a brow in suspicion. "Why? Is there something you haven't addressed to me yet?"
"N-No, it's just…I don't know, it just strikes me as confounding beyond understanding. I don't even know if either one of us is speaking about the same person, or if one of us is missing something altogether. I thought it was hard enough to comprehend looking after someone with memory loss…" When Leon realized what he was saying, he covered his mouth to stop himself, albeit a little too late.
However, this caught Tristan's attention as he narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Leon…what did you mean by that? Who has memory loss?"
It became pretty clear to Leon that he was supposed to maintain an important secret and not spill it out so carelessly, and now he had completely broken that taboo. Now what should he do? If he tried to back out of it, there's the strong possibility that Tristan might try and press him for answers until he gave him what he wanted; if he did tell him everything he knew, then that meant he had betrayed Telma's trust. He was cornered with nowhere to run now.
"Well, Leon? Are you going to tell me?"
Left with no other choice, Leon sighed in defeat. "It…Telma – the one I knew, that is – had a severe case of amnesia when I first met her. That's all I know, really. She had no memories of herself – not her family, not her origins, nothing."
When he took in all of this, Tristan stroked his chin in contemplation of this new information given to him. Perhaps I should have this reported to his Majesty as soon as I have the chance, he thought, so that he would be in the know of this new development.
"I see…then there may be a ray of hope yet," Tristan said quietly to himself. He then looked back to his protégé. "Leon…since you're here and everyone else is preoccupied, tell me everything you can about the Telma you know. Perhaps there truly is a connection between the ones we know of. If everything you tell me is true and it might connect to the Telma I know, we could make use of the trap and confirm whether or not it really is her."
