Chapter 12

Stirring the soul

"Cecil - it's no use... Cid won't listen to me! He says that Kain is a bastard and that he'll never allow him to be with his beloved daughter... As Diane won't obey him, he demanded that we should take care of Kain..." Rosa sighed as she informed her husband of the current situation.

Cecil was sitting on his throne, looking still tired as the audience had exhausted him very much. He tried to think clearly. "This is bad news, darling... I don't want to lose Cid as a friend – also, we need him to take care of the airships. I can fly such a thing, but I am no engineer... But we also cannot forbid Kain to see Diane... I wish Cid wouldn't be so stubborn."

Rosa agreed. "Yes - I at least am so happy for Kain..."

"Thanks for your support, but I guess I caused you only trouble, again..." Kain entered the throne room, looking concerned. Still there was a sparkle in his eyes that his two friends had never seen before.

"Oh Kain - I am so glad - Diane is such a nice girl..." Rosa embraced him warmly. Upon her touch Kain did not even flinch - though Rosa was as beautiful as ever and he's always cherish her as a friend, the former affection he'd felt for her seemed to him like twisted dream...

Cecil patted him on the shoulder. "See- it was right what I told you..." he whispered.

Kain blushed slightly and grinned "Yes, yes - probably the providence of a Paladin - you should go to a carnival with that number..." He smiled mischievously.

"That's just the Kain I know..." Cecil smiled.

"Yep - guess I'm back... Sorry anyway that Cid is so angry with you... I wish it would just be me..."

"The problem is that we need the airship to go to Mysidia as fast as possible..." Rosa said.

"We could use the Serpent Way..." Kain proposed.

Cecil reflected for a moment. "It will be very strenuous... But I guess we have no choice." He sighed deeply.

Kain looked at his friend with concern "You look as if you have problems right now - and not only with Cid..."

"Yes... that's right... I had a quarrel with Golbez..." the paladin admitted.

"Golbez, huh!" Kain shrugged his shoulders. "He's a strange fellow... If you wish me to--"

"No. Please don't Kain..." Cecil held up a hand. "That's not necessary..." He didn't want to talk about his brother right now, having other problems to solve. "Tell Yang, Edge, Palom and Porom to meet at the entrance to the Serpent way. Will you be coming with us, too?"

Kain nodded and smiled. "Hey! What a question! I am still a fighter - and your friend! Count me in..."

"Fine - Rosa, will you stay here and take care of things while we're away?"

"Sure... Didn't want to come anyway. It's just a terribly boring diplomatic visit..." she joked.

"Hey Rosa- since when do you make fun of your husband?" Kain grinned.

Cecil sighed, though had to hide a grin. "Since ever... She just didn't show it..."

The three friends had to laugh.

"It's just like in old times..." Rosa smiled.

"Yes... I hope just that all these problems at the moment will turn out to be harmless; another war would prove to be fatal..." Cecil said thoughtfully.

"Fatal it would be, too if you don't get started, now... I'm coming with you to say goodbye to you two..." Rosa said.

As they left the room Kain studied the sorrowful face of his ever-been but now new found friend. "Cecil... You said something about a war... You suspect that there's something wrong, do you..." he asked.

The paladin's deep blue eyes fixed him seriously "Yes... Though hope that I'm wrong..."

~*~

The friends met at the stone entrance in the middle of the town in Baron. The sky was grey and full of clouds and it was raining slightly.

"Hey Cecil! Edge exclaimed. "Why have we to use the Serpent Way? You're a King - you have airships! Or did you forget?" He shivered in the cold.

"Well, Edge...There have been certain problems..." the paladin felt embarrassed.

"Problems..." the King of Eblan frowned.

"Stop it, Edge! Cecil has his reasons..." Kain helped his friend.

"Since when are you so understanding?" the Ninja snapped back.

Kain sighed. "Please Edge - there is no time to quarrel - Cid won't care for the airships at the moment..."

"Oh..." Edge gasped surprised.

"Huhu Kain!" a female voice shouted excitedly.

"Diane," Kain gasped as the girl fell in his arms.

"You did not tell me that you were going..."

"Err. Have it failed to realize something?" Edge looked confused upon watching the embraced couple.

"Well..." Both Kain and Diane were blushing.

Rosa leant against Cecil's shoulder, beaming of joy for her friends.

Edge kicked angrily a stone on the ground. "Well, just great! Seems like anyone except me is having a great time..." he mumbled. " He thought of the quarrel with Rydia.

It started raining harder.

"We should really be going now..." Cecil grabbed the handle of the stone door leading to the serpent way. To his surprise, the door flung open by itself...

"What the hell..."

A gazer popped out of the entrance, moaning fearfully, followed by several other creatures. Diane let out a scream.

"Monsters! The Serpent Way is full of monsters!" Edge shouted in horror.

"Someone close this door, fast! We are in the middle of the town!." Cecil ached, already battling some of the creatures. Kain showed the shivering Diane aside

"Run back to the castle, quickly- it's too dangerous for you here." The girl nodded, pale.

Meanwhile Edge and Yang were pressing their bodies against the door. "It's no use... The monsters are too strong- they're blocking the entrance!!!"

"I'll try dragging them back!" Kain thrust his lance in the mass of some the creatures.

"I am going to get help!" Rosa shouted from somewhere. As the monsters had appeared she had taken some steps back, having neither a weapon nor the combat experience for close combat... She backed of carefully, watching the mass of monsters attentively but a bit afraid.

"Hurry!" Cecil screamed while burying Legend into an imp.

"Well at least there are no undead between the creatures..." Edge mumbled, preparing a lightening attack.

A giant rat bit him in the leg. "Ouch - damn vermin! Has Baron become a giant sewer?" he hissed.

"I heard that, Edge! Maybe you would like something bigger to deal with..."Cecil shouted back. The Paladin was fighting with an enormously huge, slimy jelly.

Secretly he was wondering how he would explain this to the town citizens who had already noticed the new "guests" in town and were running around, screaming.

"Uh oh - one of the monsters is running towards the houses! YAA!" Kain jumped high up in the air, lance pointed downwards and thrust the weapon into the creature.

"I am getting tired already..." Edge muttered as he smashed some smaller creatures with his unbelievably fast shurikens. "Where's Rosa with the help?"

"These are all I could find!" Rosa said apologetically as she appeared again, followed by Cid and Golbez.

"Great..." Cecil mumbled. "Of all people these two.."

"Don't think that I am doing this for you, Kain!" Cid snorted as he readied his giant wooden hammer "I wouldn't mind if you got hurt badly!"

"Well - you'll have to wait forever for this...." Kain grinned and jumped aside to dodge the attack of an imp captain.

"We must close the door as fast as possible..." Golbez said, calm as ever, as he stepped next to his brother, arms folded, as if there was no danger at all.

"We've had the idea, too! It's just not so easy!" Cecil hissed, sweat running down his face. "Maybe you could do something instead of just standing there!"

"Please calm down..." Golbez sounded amused. He went slowly towards the door of the Serpent Way.

"What does he want to do?" Rosa wondered, watching the scenery from afar.

To the surprise of the others the monsters did not attack the black-haired man but scuttled back to where they had come from as if being afraid. Calmly, Golbez followed the path until he stood just before the entrance, then raised his hands and let some fire rain down on the creatures before him.

"Now's our chance to close the door!" Cecil nodded towards Yang and Edge.

"Cid and I will give you rear cover!" Kain threw his lance away and unsheathed his sword.

Cid grumbled but went in battle stance, too. It was raining hard now, and all were wet to the bones.

"One, two, three, push!" the three men shut the door with much force; trapping the creatures inside the stone building which were now fighting madly to get out again under loud howling and screaming.

"What are we to do know?" Edge shouted; back pressed to the door. "We can't stand here forever..."

Yang and Cecil stood beside him, rain dripping down their faces.

"The muddy ground makes it hard to hold the footing..." Yang remarked. "Whatever we do, we should do it fast!" The banging and shaking of the door got stronger.

"Maybe we can block the door with something..." Cecil panted.

"How about that?" Kain thrust his sword in an open crack, thus blocking the door for a while.

"It'll last at least some minutes!" Edge exclaimed.

"Well, that will be enough... Please step all aside..." Golbez, who'd watched the whole scene silently, raised his hands.

Cecil, Yang and Edge obeyed his command and sprinted aside.

"I call you forth power of Earth which can crush even the sky, a monument for eternity - STONE!" Suddenly the ground started to shake causing pebbles and plaster raining down from the nearby houses.

"Not again!" Cid gasped. From somewhere Rosa uttered a faint scream.

"Don't worry my friend - look!" Yang whispered.

With a loud CRASH! the earth before the Serpent Way building cracked open, giving way to two stone pillars which emerged from the ground with an incredible speed and thus blocked the entrance. Then there was silence again. Golbez sighed relieved - casting two powerful spells without a pause had exhausted even someone as mighty as him.

"He is human, after all..." Cecil thought.

"Golbez... How'd did you do that?" he gasped.

"Oh... this..." his brother said a bit out of breath and stroked a wet strain of hair out of his face: "Just a little trick of mine- you'll be in trouble if you ever want to enter the building again, though..." He smiled.

"We are in trouble already... Look at the houses! It will take weeks to repair everything!!!" Cid said sourly.

"It couldn't be helped..." Rosa tried to calm him. "At least no one was hurt..." She looked around, her golden hair hanging heavily over her totally soaked gown. "Are all monsters gone?"

"Seems so..." Kain mumbled "Wait... what's that?" From above the flapping of wings could be heard. "Oh no! A wyvern and it's flying directly to the castle!"

"Where does that thing is coming from?" Edge shouted.

" I really don't care at the moment! After it!" Cecil had already started running.

"Hey Cid! Maybe it destroys one of your airships!" Kain grinned.

"Maybe it feeds on you!" the sturdy man retorted, but hurried also after his friends.

As the panting group could already see the castle gate, a female voice screamed loudly.

"Diane!" Kain and Cid uttered at the same time. Quite a bit away from them, they spotted the young woman lying lifeless on the grass. Over her the giant bird/dragon-monster was towering.

"Diane!" the two man screamed in shook again and ran towards the creature, which was about to attack its prey.

"The creature is too far away! They'll never reach it in time!" Cecil gasped.

"That's right..." Again his brother was next to him, calm as ever, his dark armor making the raindrops rinsing from it black.

"Golbez! You..." Before the paladin could utter more, his brother had held up his hand, indicating him to be silent. For some reason, Cecil felt inclined to obey.

Golbez smiled and closed his eyes, his lips forming words one could not understand.

"Oh my god..." Rosa sobbed and turned her head away as she saw how the giant creature started to flatter, then raised its head for an attack

"NOOO!" Kain screamed in rage.

Suddenly the bird hesitated and looked in the direction where the others were standing.

"It's… it's going to attack us!" Edge stuttered.

"No - it isn't," Cecil said very calmly, suddenly.

His brother raised an eyebrow in surprise and opened his eyes again. The wyvern soared up in the sky with a loud cry and flew away.

"Diane!" Kain was the first to reach the field and snatched the limp body of the girl in his arms.

Cid fell next to him and turned the girl's head towards him. "Diane... Say something... Are you alright!?" Tears were running over his bearded face.

"She isn't moving... She feels so cold..." Tears were standing Kain's eyes, too.

"It's.... it's your fault if anything had happened to her!!!" Cid stared in shock at his daughter.

Kain bowed his head, his hand stroking softly Diane's arm. "Yes... I... I did tell her to run to the castle... I am destroying the life of everyone I meet..."

A friendly hand was suddenly laid on his shoulder. "Kain - please move aside so that Rosa can check Diane..." Cecil said softly and pushed his friend carefully away, taking the young woman from him. The ex-dragoon let it happen.

Rosa knelt beside her husband. "Cid... Please move away, too - I need some room..." The sturdy man didn't react. Rosa softly patted his shoulder "Cid - it will be alright..." Her eyes sparkled warm and confidently. The man looked at her fearfully, then moved away a bit.

During Rosa's examination there was a fearful silence - only the rain could be heard.

"She's alright..." Rosa exclaimed after a while. "A few bruises and her left ankle seems to be sprained, but there are no serious wounds. I guess she just fainted out of shock, the cold or due to the fall...We came just in time..."

A sigh of relief went through the group of friends.

"Really?" Kain wiped some tears from his face. He'd never cried in public before.

Cid only sobbed.

Rosa cast a cure spell on the girl. "That should wake her up..."

The red-haired woman slowly opened her eyes. "K... Kain..Help!." She mumbled weakly.

"Diane! You're alive!" Cid rushed to her side.

"Father... What happened? Is.. is Kain alright?"

"I am here Diane..." Kain's voice sounded besides her. The blond man stroked her cheek "I am so sorry, Diane... It was all my fault..." He bowed his head.

"Kain..." Diane tried to reach for his hand and gasped in pain.

"We really should take her inside! She's totally soaked wet - as we all..." Rosa exclaimed.

"I'll carry her..." Kain took the girl out of Cecil's arms.

Cid blocked in his way "No- you won't, dragoon. Don't touch my daughter!"

"Cid! Don't be silly..." Yang said.

"Father - please let him carry me... It's alright..." Diane said weakly.

Cid gasped, head deeply red with rage.

"It's enough, Cid!" Cecil grabbed the arm of his friends firmly and dragged him away.

"Cecil! Let go of me or you'll pay for it..." Cid was by far stronger than the paladin, but still had problems to escape his firm grip.

"Yeah, yeah whatever..." his friend mumured absent-mindedly.

His thoughts were by his brother.

~*~

One hour later the friends met again in baron's great hall, where a chimney fire had been lighted. Diane was laying in the sick quarters, sleeping. The whole day had exhausted her very much, as well as it had the others, which had changed into dry clothes.

"There were monsters in the Serpent Way?" Palom asked.

"Maybe something has happened in Mysidia..." his sister looked concerned.

"We don't know that..." Edward patted the girl on her back. "Maybe they also sealed the entrance..."

"I wonder where the big bird came from..." Rosa frowned. "As far as I know, they live only in the forests of Toroia..."

"Yes... I've heard that, too." Edward nodded. "They can be very dangerous. It's just a luck that it disappeared in time... It just flew away you said? That's strange..."

Cecil looked uncomfortable.

"Hey Golbez- maybe this was the work of you? Boy- did he frighten the monsters!" Edge was standing with his back to the fire, trying to get warm.

Golbez stiffened a bit.

"It probably flew away because it got frightened by Cid's and Kain's loud shouting..." Cecil said hastily without looking at his brother.

Golbez smiled at him, his eyebrow raised.

Edge frowned "Really? But..."

Cecil glared at him "Edge - please; no long discussions now...We have other problems!"

"Alright, alright! Don't be so rude..."

The features of the paladin softened "Sorry, Edge... I guess we're all exhausted..."

Edge grinned. "Already forgiven - so if I am not mistaken we need to go to Mysidia more than ever?"

"That's right..." Cecil nodded. "And for this we'll need the airship..." He looked at Cid.

The man gasped. "No!" he crossed his arms.

"Cid. Don't be silly - we need it!" Kain said angrily.

"You shut your mouth you, you little..."

"Cid! It's enough!" Rosa blurted out suddenly. "Like it or don't like it - Diane and Kain love each other... You're risking many lives with your behavior!"

"Diane... and Kain..." Paloms eyes sparkled unexpectedly. "I thought it was a joke..." Porom giggled.

Kain sighed "Rosa - you couldn't have said it - you know- more quieter?"

Rosa gave an regretful look while Cid seemed to ponder over something.

"Alright..." he mumbled after a while. "Take yer airships - but don't think that I'll accept your relationship with Diane!" He glared at Kain.

"Thanks Cid... Let's start as soon as possible. I'd liked to invite Rydia to come with us and maybe Kieran - where are they anyway?" Cecil smiled.

The others shrugged their shoulders, Edge started to whistle nervously.

"Alright - I'll send someone for them..." The paladin winked at a servant.

"We'll meet in a hour or so again. Maybe we can start already this evening. Try to get some rest..." The friends scattered apart.

As Cecil was about to leave the room, Golbez approached him. "Can I have a talk with you, brother..."

"Ye... yes, sure..."

The two men went into a quit corner.

"What is it?" the paladin asked without looking at his brother, though he already knew what the other wanted to know.

"You're covering up for me, Cecil..."

Cecil gave a nervous laugh. "What do you mean?"

Golbez looked amused "Don't try to play games with me... You know pretty well why the bird flew away, don't you?"

"Yes..." Suddenly Cecil stared hardly in his brother's eyes. "You can still manipulate minds, though in a less stronger form than you used to do..."

Golbez nodded. "You know this and still cover up for me? Why?"

Cecil shrugged his shoulders. "I didn't know how the others would react on that..."

"Interesting... Aren't you forgetting the code of honor of a paladin? I seem to spoil you..."

"There's nothing wrong with not blurting out everything..." Cecil replied angrily. "Besides I will tell it to them someday - your ability could become very useful..."

The smile on Golbez faced vanished, reminding Cecil of his brother's reaction as it had come to their father "Useful? Never say that my ability would be useful! It's a curse - a thing which could be your doom..." He grabbed the arm of the paladin hardly, his fingers burying in the flesh.

Cecil moved not an inch, his blue eyes fixed hard at the man before him. Though he felt no immediate danger the sudden outbreak of violence horrified, nearly disgusted him.

"Don't think that I will scream of pain...As my inner pain is much greater than any wound could be..." he hissed, feeling helplessness, though also aggression.

Golbez released his grasp at once "I do not intend to hurt you." He was calm again, though the tone of his voice and his smile were bitter as he continued.

"Though know that your pain is only a rain drop in the ocean of mine..."

"Then don't drown in it..." Cecil bowed his head, not knowing how to win this fight against the despair and hate inside his brother if not with his "weapons".

Golbez looked at him skeptically "Cynicism is not becoming you, Cecil - I really seem to spoil you... Don't let this happen... See you later..." He walked away.

"Damn - why does he make me so angry?" The paladin rubbed his arm. "He's my brother...I wonder if I was wrong? If he really is lost..."