Gnothi Se Auton
-Act I-
The Trine Prophecy
A Final Fantasy IV Story
by SpacemanSpiff
Chapter III
The Prayer
Scene 3 – Land of the Summons, Rydia's Quarters
Her hand was shaking as it reached into the small closet of her room, taking hold of things she didn't even know if she would need. The whole reality of her decision was slowly falling upon her, and as she picked a jade dress from the rack she held it there before her eyes. She stared at it, observed it, looked through it, into the depths of its fibers and in it she saw herself glaring back at her in dismay. She dropped the dress, backing away from its crumpled mess on the floor. She turned away and found her hand in her face, hiding her eyes from the world around her, keeping her safe for the moment. She was lost, as it had long since dawned on her, and it was beginning to tear at her. As she looked into the darkness of the palm of her hand, she saw the faces of those she was leaving behind, wondering why one of their own was going away.
But I'm not one of them...
It sounded so cold the way the words crept across her mind, and it only made her feel worse. Some of these creatures here truly believed she was just one of the family, although a very unique one, a creature unlike any other. In some ways Rydia actually started believing it herself, although in light of recent events she could not bring back such notions. She was a wreck as it was, and dwelling on such a concept would not help her on her way.
"Wark!"
Rydia jumped as her hand shot down to her side, her eyes staring wide at the door of the small room. She knew exactly who was patiently waiting behind it, though she could not bear to have to explain to him what was happening. She walked over to the bed where her travel sack lay peacefully, wrapping the tie around it to keep the contents concealed. She shot a nervous glance at the door as she closed the baggage, trying her best to think of just what she was to say. The words weren't coming as easily as she would've liked, but she couldn't keep him waiting much longer.
"Wark!"
She finally remembered to breathe, and with a deep inhale of the sweet air, she felt much more relaxed. Her footsteps echoed a bit throughout the room, mostly empty aside from the bed and the closet, as she reached for the wooden handle of her door. The curtains fell over her eyes once more before she gave a graceful tug of the knob. With a slow creak of the old hinges, Rydia opened her eyes to the ruffled mess of yellow feathers pacing excitedly outside her door. When the chocobo saw her through the doorway, it bolted past her into the room, leaving a small trail of feathers behind. She knew she was going to have to clean those up before she left, and she actually found herself laughing it off.
"Hey, Chobi. Excited to see me?" Rydia asked as she closed the door, turning to her yellow-feathered friend. He was currently jumping on her bed, something he often was scolded for, though Rydia was more worried of the bag he was about to topple over. "Be careful, Chobi, you know what happened to you the last time you jumped on my bed. It took you a week before you could start running again."
"Wark!"
Rydia casually walked over and picked up the sack from under the chocobo's monstrous feet, placing it in a safe corner. As she turned back around she nearly jumped out of her skin as she came nose to nose with Chobi's considerable orange beak. He stared like a statue, and Rydia put a smile over her incredibly nervous eyes.
"Don't sneak up on me like that," Rydia softly told the creature as she stepped out of the corner, away from those glaring eyes. "You know better than that."
"Wark!"
Rydia stopped half-way across the room as the creature's call struck her down; the overgrown bird had already noticed more than she wanted. She didn't want to turn around just yet, for if she had to look into those eyes again, those eyes that she had seen in Asura and Leviathan, she worried she might never make it past her front door.
"I know I was gone too long last night. I'm sorry, Chobi." Rydia confessed to the bird behind her, wondering just what was going through his mind, be it curiosity, or perhaps fear of what she would say next. Stalling wouldn't help, however, and she was going to have to explain everything here and now. "I had a lot to think about, and I went to speak with Queen Asura and King Leviathan."
"wark..."
Something was different in his tone now, some noticeable change in his feelings that Rydia could sense more keenly than her own. She wanted to face him, but she didn't know if she was ready to give it all away just yet. That all changed as she felt the silky smooth touch of chocobo feathers nestling against her shoulder, and his beak was resting against her cheek. Though her tears welled up against the dam of her eyes, she remained adamant to letting them fall. But now she could not keep her back against her friend, for now was the time to give up the truth, as hard as it was going to be.
The feathers brushed over her back as she slowly came around to face the endlessly forgiving eyes, the most innocent soul she could imagine. She reached a hand up to stroke his beak, and his eyes disappeared beneath his feathered skin, lowering his head so she could scratch behind his ears. She smiled sadly as he began to purr, the feathers of his neck standing on end like a lion's mane. Nothing had ever been as hard as this, and she felt it like a vise, crushing her spirit in all of this anguish. Though her voice was growing frail, she continued to scratch so that he might not have to watch her cry.
"Chobi, I have to go somewhere. Somewhere far from here," she pushed hard on that lump that stood stagnant in her throat, and the tears were already beginning to fall down her delicate face. "And I might not be coming back for..." she stopped as his bashful black eyes finally opened into hers, stealing her breath for a moment. She could see her words hitting him harder than she had expected. "...for a long time. I..."
"wark?"
"Of course I'm not leaving for good," she hated to lie, but it was the only thing she could possibly think of to keep his feelings from shattering at her feet. But she really didn't know herself whether or not it was truly a lie, for her soul could be anywhere. "I have friends just like you in the upper world who miss me, and...I have other things to take care of."
Rydia had to avert her eyes, for the pitiful look of despair on that chocobo's face was ever so rueful. She shut her eyes tight, to squeeze those painful tears to the floor where they would forever rest. She couldn't think of another thing to say, for anything else she feared would rip the poor creature's heart out. But the words never had to come; for she found the very spirit she was trying to protect trying to comfort her. The gentle beak slid down under her chin, graciously lifting her head up out of its woeful hollow. Their eyes met for only a second before Rydia burst into tears, wrapping her arms around the fine feathered neck, holding so tight to her childhood friend. Her tears left beaded sparkles rolling down his feathers as she washed her fear, her troubles, and her sorrow away into the desolate air.
"I'm sorry, Chobi." she cried her dearly sorrowed confession through his golden tufts, hoping her words would hold in his heart. "I have to go."
As much as it hurt to leave his spirit so hopelessly lost like this, she had to leave before she was unable to go on. She quickly dropped her arms from the chocobo's neck before skittering errantly to the corner, eyes blurred from the sea of tears that washed abounding. She snatched the travel sack without hesitation and ran past the broken-hearted creature standing motionless in the middle of her room. She burst through the door without ever looking back, leaving a trail of tear-stained feathers in her wake, along with the one soul that cared for her more than any other.
...wark...
