Author's Note: I had no work today and it's my free time so why the hell not?

XIII: Memories Of The Garden

As they descended and entered the underground city of Guadosalam, it felt like being inside the roots of a giant tree.

The walls and walkways are twisted roots that came from the trees of the Moonflow north bank. The place itself almost resembles an underground swamp, and the atmosphere had an earthy feel to it. They also saw the citizens of Guadosalam walking around, both humans and Guado alike.

Before they even got to walk further into the underground city, an elderly Guado suddenly walked up to them, but his attention was towards Yuna. "We have been expecting you, Lady Yuna. Welcome to Guadosalam. This way, my lady. This way." He reached out his long, pointy hands to Yuna. "This way, my lady. This way."

Wakka was quick to intercept his hand before it touched Yuna. "Whoa, whoa, whoa!"

The elder guado bowed in apology. "Oh, I beg your pardon. I'm called Tromell Guado. I am in the direct servidce of our leader, the great Seymour Guado. Lord Seymour has very important business with Lady Yuna."

"Business with me? Whatever could it be, I wonder?"

"Please, come inside the manor," Tromell's hand gestured towards a lone door at the center. "All will be explained. Of course, your friends are also welcome." He walked away and all of them followed. Tidus on the other hand, felt doubtful. "Business with Yuna, huh?" he murmured, "I don't like the sound of that."

"Did you say something?" asked Rikku who was walking right next to him.

"Nothing."

As Tromell was leading all of them to Seymour's manor, along the way, Berkut noticed a familiar old man who was walking about, looking at his surroundings. When he noticed the prince, he immediately went to his side with a smile on his face. "Good to see you again, young guardian."

"You… We met at the Mi'ihen Highroads. Um, Maechen, correct?" It was amazing how a person of his age could still travel. He knew that the last they met, they were quite far from where they are now.

Maechen smiled again. "Nice to know you remember me," he chuckled. "Want me to give you some knowledge about Spira?"

Berkut looked over to the group who were already inside, save for Tidus who noticed who he was talking to. He made a thumbs-up to the prince and went inside. Berkut gazed back at the old scholar, "It's okay because I—"

"Oh, come now," he interrupted. "A little knowledge wouldn't hurt now, would it?"

Sighing at the fact that Maechen was insistent, Berkut relented. "Alright. But please, make it quick?"

Maechen's old eyes gleamed. "Now, what would you like to know? The Farplane? The pyreflies?"

"Just, please…get on with it."

"Okay, I'll start with the Farplane," he cleared his throat. "The Farplane's the place where pyreflies born from a sending gather. They appear in the shape of people who've died and gone to the Farplane. Quite the phenomenon; how I wish I understood it more fully! The Al Bhed have a theory, you know. They say the pyreflies are just reacting to visitors' thoughts and dreams. But only the dead appear on the Farplane. No image of the living has ever been seen. It's a great mystery! But maybe…Maybe the dead leave a bit of themselves in the hearts of the living. And that little bit borrows the pyreflies' power for their paranormal performance! Or maybe not. Who knows? And that, as they say, is that."

Okay, he got all that at least. "The pyreflies?"

"Ah yes." He cleared his throat again. "They may be called "pyreflies" but they aren't really "flies," you see. They're those lights you see whenever a fiend dies. The little fellows are responsible for a few fantastic phenomena. Visions of the past, spheres, fiends– these are all the pyreflies' doing. In fact… pyreflies have something to do with aeons, too. The dreams of the fayth reach through the spirit of the summoner… And that which is unreal becomes real for all to see! Or maybe not. Who knows? And that, as they say, is that."

"The aeons?" The prince asked. "Dreams of the fayth? So, are you saying, the aeons aren't real?"

Maechen gave a shrug. "You could say that. Who knows? Dreams are mysterious. Even an old scholar such as myself do not completely understand it."

Somehow, he heard that same line somewhere before.

"Well, anyway…I should get going. Thank you."

"If you need to know more, I will always be there to provide knowledge for you." He waved goodbye and left the prince.

He went inside the manor and saw the rest of them standing at the center of the hall, all waiting for Tromell. Yuna was fidgeting nervously, while Tidus was looking at the portraits that were at the staircases which were leading up to somewhere. Rikku was the first to greet him when they saw him enter.

"Hey! What took you?"

"Talked to an old scholar a bit," he explained, not saying any more of the details.

"Oh. Anyway, we're still waiting here so it's no biggy."

Berkut noticed all of the portraits, and Seymour's portrait was one of them. He then began comparing the other portraits. "Hmm…Seymour's a Guado, right? How come he looks different from the rest of them?"

"Maester Seymour's father, Maester Jyscal, married a human woman. She was Seymour's mother," Lulu explained.

"Half human, half Guado?" Rikku asked, scratching her cheeks.

"Yes. Maester Seymour is the first half Guado."

Tidus and Rikku both made an "Ooooh," whereas the prince remained unchanged. No matter what they say, he still doesn't trust Seymour.

"By the way, I smell something nice," Rikku said, and she was right, something did smell good, like someone was preparing food at the other side of the room. "I wonder what it is?"

"Still," said Berkut who crossed his arms, "I don't like this… Something doesn't feel right."

Tromell then emerged from the door which was at the center of the hall. "This way, please."

They now entered inside the Great Hall. What they saw gave the guardians surprised look. The hall had long tables and on it were food, plates and other cutlery, as if they were in a banquet. "I will go inform Lord Seymour. Please wait here." He then left the group alone.

"Whoa," Tidus said. "What's the occasion?"

Rikku went ahead and began eating the fruits on the table which was at the center of the room. "Mmm! This is good! The Guado sure know how to eat!"

"Hmph. I don't think he invited us here just to have dinner," the prince said. "I just hope this will be finished quick."

"I agree with you," Wakka said in turn. "Nothing against the maester, but I do hope whatever it is, it'll be quick. We still gotta go elsewhere, ya?"

Rikku grabbed an apple and began gobbling it. She then gestured the food towards the prince. "Want some?"

"No thank you," he said bluntly.

Auron, who was standing at one corner next to the door, was becoming irritated. "What is taking them so long?"

Tromell suddenly re-entered from the door. "Truly, it is good to have guests again," the old guado said as he walked towards the group. "Since Lord Jyscal passed away, these halls have been too quiet."

Yuna nodded. "The death of Lord Jyscal was a great loss for all of Spira."

Berkut turned to Lulu who expected a little insight of this Lord Jyscal. "Lord Jyscal was responsible of bringing the teachings of Yevon to the Guado."

"Truly, a loss for us all," said the old guado. "But now a new leader, Lord Seymour, has come before us. Lord Seymour is the child of a Guado and a human. He will be the tie that binds our two races together. But that is not all, I think. Lord Seymour…" he began spreading his arms, "He will surely become the shining star that lights the way for all the peoples of Spira."

"Over exaggerating, don't you think?" Tidus whispered to Berkut.

"That is enough, Tromell," said Seymour who finally entered the room. "Must I always endure such praise?" He made the Yevon bow towards the guardians, though his eyes remained fixed to Yuna. "Welcome."

"You…wanted to see me?" Yuna asked nervously.

"Please, make yourselves at home," he said gently, his voice as smooth as silk. "There's no rush."

"Please, keep this short. Yuna must rush." Auron said curtly.

"Pardon me. It has been a long time since I had guests. Lady Yuna, this way."

As she stepped forward, the scenery of the room suddenly changed. They all almost jumped at the surprise when the ground suddenly lit up, and lights started surrounding all of them. The saw the stars and even planets, something that Berkut never saw in his lifetime. He wondered if this is what it truly look whenever they see the stars in the night sky, and there are more beyond that. His eyes widened in awe. It was like they were in a different world altogether.

"This sphere is a reconstruction created from the thoughts of the dead that wander the Farplane," Seymour explained as he went closer to Yuna as the scenery changed. Suddenly they saw tall buildings in bird's eye view. Tall buildings, waterfalls, and the ground itself looked as if it had lights. Berkut thought Luca was already big, but this one was bigger. The scenery moved on its own.

Tidus gasped at the familiar scenery. "This place…!"

The scene changed again, and this time it was like they were on the ground. The buildings looked taller, making them look like ants on the ground. The buildings themselves looked like they were glowing, and a booming voice was heard in the background, and people walking on the streets like everything was normal. Berkut was surprised that a person passed right through him. The technology looked really advanced, and the kingdom he once lived in was nothing compared to this.

"Zanarkand!" Tidus said.

Seymour nodded. "Correct. Zanarkand…as it looked one thousand years ago. The great and wondrous machina city, Zanarkand."

Amazing how they all got to see Zanarkand in its glory before it became nothing but ruins. Seymour made a faraway gaze. "She once lived in this metropolis."

"She, who?" Yuna asked, and his only reply was a smile.

The scene changed again, and this time they were in someone's bed chamber. A lone woman was sitting on her bed, as if she was waiting for someone. Out of all the people Berkut saw in Spira, this woman was marked as the strangest one in his list.

Seymour and Yuna were standing at the opposite side of the bedroom. Yuna immediately recognized the woman on the bed. "Lady Yunalesca!"

Now it seemed like the two were the only ones at the room despite them just being at the opposite side. They all saw that they were talking for a moment, which made Tidus a little irritated. Then all of a sudden, a man entered the room and passed through Yuna. He was wearing of what looked like an ornate samurai armor. The woman named Yunalesca stood up and went to him, gazing upon him lovingly. Because the two were in the way, they couldn't see both Yuna and Seymour and what they were saying.

When the room was back to normal again, they all saw Seymour and Yuna standing, the former looking so bewildered and flustered. Yuna went to approach them, then paused and turned towards the table and grabbed a drink, gulping it down. When she ran towards the group, she still felt her face hot. The others gathered towards her, wondering what was wrong. They noticed that she was wildly blushing.

"Wow! Your face is beet red!" said Rikku.

"You okay?" Tidus asked, feeling concerned.

She held both her hands to her face. She made a quick glance towards Seymour, then back to the group. "He…he asked me to marry him!" She finally said.

There was a pause, absorbing what she said to them. "You serious?" Tidus asked, also lost. Berkut couldn't believe what he just heard. "You can't be serious."

Yuna slowly shook her head, still in shock and her face still red. She was indeed serious.

Berkut glowered at the Guado. The sense of wrongness was just too much. "What's the meaning of this?"

"You know what Yuna must do," Auron said.

"Of course," he said as he slowly stepped forward and began spreading his arms. "Lady Yuna–no, all summoners–are charged with bringing peace to Spira. But this means more than just defeating Sin. She must ease the suffering of all Spira. She must be a leader for the people. I proposed to Lady Yuna as a Maester of Yevon."

Auron remained unmoved by his speech. "Spira is no playhouse. A moment's diversion may amuse an audience, but it changes nothing."

"Even so, the actors must play their parts." He approached Yuna, "There's no need to answer right away. Please, think it over."

Yuna could only stammer. "We will do so then," Auron scoffed. "We leave."

"Lady Yuna, I await your favorable reply."

As they start to leave, Seymour made them stop their tracks. "Why are you still here, sir?" he said as he referred to Auron. The older guardian paused and made a quick glance with his one eye. "I beg your pardon." He courtly bowed. "We Guado are keen to the scent of the Farplane."

Tidus jokingly sniffed the guardian and the latter shoved him aside. He stomped ahead and left the room. Berkut also noticed that he was looking at him, giving him an empty smile. "And you… You're not from this world, are you?" He said. The prince ignored his question and left the group.

They all gathered outside the mansion, with Yuna still contemplating her decision whether or not she should marry Seymour. "Yuna, the high summoner's daughter," Lulu began. "Seymour, the leader of the Guado. Married in the name of Yevon, overcoming the barriers of race. It would give Spira something cheery to talk about, for a change."

"Still though," Berkut said. "Even that were to happen, nothing will change, just as Auron said."

"He's right," said Tidus. "I mean… Come on, let's just get on with the pilgrimage! I mean, marriage?"

"Hmm, jealous?" Rikku teased.

Tidus looked at her incredulously, "What? No way! We gotta defeat Sin. Romance can wait!"

"I agree with Tidus," said the prince, "And besides, do you REALLY want to marry him?"

"He sure picked a fine time to lay this one on us," stated Wakka.

"Maybe, it is a fine time," Yuna suddenly spoke.

Tidus quickly glanced at her. "You serious?"

"If my getting married would help Spira…if it would make people happy…If I could do that for people…maybe I should do what I can. I never imagined doing anything like this. But, I won't answer till I know what's right."

"Seriously?"

"You could always just quit your pilgrimage and get married," said Rikku who crouched.

Berkut made a glance, "How could you say that?" He turned to Yuna, "And, are you sure about this?"

Yuna shook her head. "I will…go on. I'm sure that Lord Seymour will understand."

Rikku scratched her cheek, "Umm, I guess so…"

"I am a summoner!" Yuna continued. "I must fight and defeat Sin."

"Like Braska before you," Auron stated.

Yuna thought for a moment, then faced the group. "I'm going to the Farplane. I'm going to see my father and think on this."

"Go on, we'll be right behind you," Lulu said, and Yuna nodded. She went ahead and they all followed. They walked in a long hallway. The prince heard Tidus grumbling, saying, "Marriage? Does she even love him? C'mon, what's there to think about?!"

"You do know that not all marriages are based on love," Berkut said, overhearing is grumbling. "Most of the time, people with high status go through political marriage."

"Yeah, but—" he paused. "Wait, you're royalty, right?"

The prince raised a brow. "Meaning?"

"That means…you were probably engaged to someone! Am I right?"

The prince went a little quiet, looking deep in thought. "Yes…I was…" he said slowly.

"Was it political? Or love based?"

"I…loved my betrothed dearly."

Tidus nudged him. "See what I mean? Even you admit that you were gonna marry someone you love. So, you got married? Had a wedding?"

"No…" he said in a low voice.

That peaked Tidus's curiosity. "Oh? She rejected you?"

He shook his head and his eyes gazed to the ground, looking despondent. "No. She…passed away before we got married."

"Oh…" Tidus suddenly felt guilty of asking too much. "Sorry."

They said no more and continued on walking. There, they made it to the entrance of the Farplane. The place consisted of a lone staircase which leads up to the Farplane. Pyreflies could be seen flying around the area.

"Question!" Tidus said abruptly which made them pause. "About this Farplane…When somebody dies, a summoner sends them to the Farplane, right? So their souls, or whatever they are, they go to the Farplane, right? But that's the Farplane we're going to, right? And Yuna's old man's there, too? Do dead people live there or something? Hmmm…" He began imagining creepy ghosts he would usually hear in ghost stories. Funny how Tidus never realized he was friends with someone who already died before. He made a nervous laugh.

Wakka crossed his arms. "You're thinking those funny thoughts again, ya?"

"Eheheh… well…"

"You'll see once we get there," he said. They climbed the stairs and entered the Farplane except for Auron and Rikku, who stayed behind at the bottom.

"Rikku?" The prince asked. "Aren't you coming?"

"Nah." She sat on the railing opposite to Auron's. "You're not really going to see the dead, more like your memories of them. People think of their relatives, and the pyreflies react to them. They take on the form of the dead person–an illusion, nothing else."

That's an interesting way of thinking about the pyreflies, the souls of the dead and such. "I like to keep my memories inside," she continued. "Memories are nice, but that's all they are."

The prince was deep in thought, absorbing what she said. "I…see…"

"You should try going," Rikku urged, "I mean, try seeing it for yourself. It's up to you what you really think about it."

"Alright…" he said, and he left Rikku, going up to the Farplane.

The scenery looked familiar, very familiar. The mistiness reminded him of the time when he was in some sort of dream, the place where he was first sent to before he woke up in Spira. The fog started clearing up, revealing a beautiful scenery; it had a garden like structure since it had a field of flowers, and to the side was a huge waterfall. There were so many pyreflies that flew all around the Farplane, which made the scenery look more enchanting.

In there, he saw Yuna, Lulu and Wakka, and a couple of other Spirans who were talking to floating, ghost-like illusions. The man and the woman Yuna was talking to, must be her parents, while the other man Wakka was talking to must be his younger brother, Chappu. They were talking to them, and the ghostly apparitions never responded. He also saw Tidus talking to Yuna and saw another woman conjured up from the Farplane which he assumed it was from Tidus, and Kimahri was just there standing. Once they were done talking, they walked towards Berkut who was lost in thought.

"Is there something wrong?" Yuna asked, noticing his solemn face.

"I…"

"Is there…someone you missed? Try thinking of someone you miss, and the pyreflies will react to them. But only those who have passed on can be seen in the Farplane."

"Well…yes but it's—" he suddenly saw a familiar image floating at the Farplane. His eyes widened, and slowly walked towards the figure. "It can't be…Rinea…is that you?"

Fire Emblem Echoes OST: In A Silver Garden With You

The ghostly image just flowed there without any response. "R-Rinea…" He stammered.

"Oh my…" Yuna said in awe. "She's very beautiful."

"But how can—I mean, she and I, we're not from this world."

"Hmm...I think death is death no matter where you go," Yuna said. "And it is said that souls can travel to different worlds..."

"So she was the one you're supposed to marry," Tidus said.

"Yes…" he said, his eyes still fixed at the image of Rinea. He didn't mind if she was just an illusion conjured up by his memories. He missed looking at her; her blue flowing hair, her sweet, gentle face, her lovely dress. He missed seeing all of those.

"She was…never a princess to begin with," he said, telling them a bit of her story. "In fact, she was of a lesser noble. Because of that, she was shunned by the other nobles with higher status wherever she goes. At a ball, I saw her standing alone, keeping away from the others attention. I approached her…and…"

"And then what?" asked Yuna.

"We talked for a bit and after that...we danced."

Yuna smiled, happy to hear that he was opening up to them more. "That sounded really romantic."

"She must be really special," Tidus added. Although he noticed that there was something else, something he was not telling them.

He began smiling. "Indeed, she is." He then cleared his throat, his mind going back to the task at hand. "So, Yuna…"

She nodded. "Yes. I've made my decision."

From behind them came Lulu and Wakka, all done talking to the dead. "All ready?" Wakka asked, then he saw Rinea's image. "Whoa! Who's that? She's a beauty!"

"Need some more time?" Lulu asked, but she was gesturing more on Berkut.

"No, it's okay." He turned to Yuna. "Shall we get going?"

"Yes."

Lulu scanned at the three. "Did I miss something?"

Tidus only replied with a nervous laugh and proceeded to exit the Farplane. Before Berkut went out however, he glanced at Rinea's image one last time. "Please forgive me, Rinea. And wait for me a bit longer. We'll be together again soon."

Another Author's Note: You might be wondering (IN CASE YOU'RE REEEEAAALLYYYYY WONDERING) why Berkut could enter and leave the Farplane whereas Auron could not cuz he's an unsent and all blah, blah, blah. There's a reason for this I assure you. For now, just leave it in your imagination. XD LOL

Reviews are open!