Chapter 18
I didn't want Auron to see me crying. It was hard enough for him to do what he felt necessary without having to deal with me. So, I left the room and waited outside the door for him. After he finished with Legasa, someone still had to fill him in on the group's plans and find out what he knew.
I paced the corridor nervously, my thoughts drifting to my cousin. Although Yunie's life was probably not in danger, I worried about what would happen with Seymour tomorrow. I had favored the wedding when it represented a good chance to convince Yuna to end her pilgrimage, but now she was more determined than ever to continue. She'd made that much clear before our visit to Macalania temple. There was no deterring her from facing Sin, from cutting short her own life in order to give ten years of blessed peace to everyone else on Spira. But now...the wedding was pointless and what's more, I was sure Yunie was no longer participating of her own free will. Seymour had won both the battle of wits and the armed conflict, for the moment. Hopefully, it would all change tomorrow, for the better.
I can't remember the last time I felt so insecure. Two of the people closest to me were in danger of walking into traps that, once they sprang shut, would never release them. Yunie would be tied to Seymour in both fact and law. That creepy half-Guado Maester would shamelessly use her to take his revenge on the people of Spira for the mistreatment he'd suffered throughout his life. I couldn't allow it, as much as I couldn't allow Legasa to imprison the man I loved in the same way. So much revolved around that single day...there was no certainty in my existence, nothing to cling to. Both of them were on the verge of being taken from me, but I had a chance to save each from their fates. A small chance that hinged on everything going correctly tomorrow. There were still so many holes...
I wasn't alone long, although it seemed like an eternity with only my own dark thoughts for company. Auron emerged from the room rather quickly, all things considered - the high priestess must have taken him at his word (and why not? Auron always kept his word) and passed on the details of her own plan. I still didn't understand why she would have demanded him to marry her. From the little I had been able to piece together, Auron must have turned her down sometime in the past and clearly didn't think much of him now. Had she really called him ugly and hideous? Legasa must really be as shallow as the guardian had said, and her words had definately hurt him. She couldn't really want him, except as a means to some unknown end. He must have known this, and allowed himself to be a pawn in Legasa's game, for Yuna's sake. Always for Yuna's sake...Auron drove himself into the ground, into the very depths of his personal hell, for my cousin, as did we all, albeit to a lesser degree.
Finally, Auron emerged from the room alone, wearing his shirt, belt, sword, collar and glasses again. He appeared to have regained his composure, although the frown lines were painfully apparent on his face. For the first time I can remember, Auron truly did look old in that instant. The traces of silver at his temples were a dull gray, his eye was flat and unfocused. Even the stubborn resolve usually apparent in his features seemed to have dissolved. He had resigned himself to his fate.
I stood beside him and placed my hand on his forearm. To my surprise, he shrugged off the contact and walked silently down the hall. I followed him only because I would have been lost in the maze that was the Palace. He stopped in front of a bare patch of wall, and slid his hand along one line of stones. With a soft click, somekind of latch released and a narrow door opened into a dark and winding stairwell.
"Does this go to the basement? It's where the others are meeting to coordinate what we're going to do tomorrow. I have to meet them there, and I don't really know the way." I looked down at my feet, not sure how to deal with Auron in this state.
"Yeah. I'll take you there. I think I know the place they have in mind." With that, he disappeared into the stairwell and began descending. He took the stairway almost to the bottom, wordlessly keeping a brisk pace in front of me and taking each step with complete confidence in the near dark. I struggled to keep up and almost lost my footing a couple of times.
I would have never found the meeting place alone. Auron navigated quickly through a maze of endless corridors and turns, lit weakly by the rare torch. Obviously, the small monk's cells in this part of the Palace were no longer in use. At the end of a long, dark and musty hallway, we came to a disused meal hall where the rest of the party was gathered. How did Auron know this is where we had agreed to meet? We found this place by accident, he seemed to know it instinctively.
I was glad to see the others, although their greetings betrayed their own fatigue. Everyone had been through a lot today, from an early start to begin our mission, to their various intelligence-gathering tasks, all the while worrying about maintaining their cover. Yuna's absence left a gaping hole in the group, and the toll was apparent on every face in the room. We exchanged the information we'd been able to uncover, though Auron remained silent until the end. Even when the conversation was over, it appeared he wasn't in the mood to let us know what the priestess was going to do to stop the wedding. I decided to intervene.
"Auron?" I asked tenatively.
His head immediately snapped in my direction. "What?" he demanded. When was the last time I'd seen him like this? That night in Macalania forest, when I was supposed to be standing watch. His memories must be weighing on him again, for even in his usual distance, Auron never barked at anyone quite this way, much less me...
"Aren't you going to tell us what that priestess has in mind for the wedding?"
He must have scowled at me behind that collar, I just knew it. But I wasn't going to let him lead us into a volatile situation without sharing what he knew. At length, he did tell us after a long, frozen silence. He spoke in short, clipped sentences, his voice devoid of any hint of emotion or inflection. Legasa would find a way to get us into the wedding party, presumably as members of a guard of honor composed of warrior-monks. It would put us close enough to Yuna to spirit her away in the confusion caused by Father's raid. If everything went according to plan, there was a real chance we could get out of there alive, and with Yuna.
If we were unable to rescue her...well I didn't want to think about that. Everything rested on getting her out of here and to safety. Then we could discuss ending this pilgrimage. It was a discussion I both anticipated and dreaded. I would finally have the chance to prevent Yunie's death, but it would bring me into direct conflict with Auron. If it came down to it, I would choose Yuna's life over Auron's love. The guardian meant a lot to me, although the simple fact was that Yuna possessed but one life. Giving up Auron would hurt, but was far from lethal...the pilgrimage always was. It felt like the worst kind of betrayal to consider the possibility, but men other than Auron did exist, if there was no way we could continue to be together. Speaking of Auron...I wondered if he planned to stay in Bevelle after it was all over, and if the priestess would allow him to continue his pilgrimage after the charade of her wedding to him was concluded.
After he finished, Auron walked off to the far corner of the room and sat down against the wall. Squinting in the darkness, I could see him remove the jug from its place on his belt. He regarded it thoughtfully for some minutes and finally uncorked it. I knew he wouldn't want any company...but I wasn't sure that he was exercising his best judgement in drinking tonight. So much depended on everything going correctly tomorrow, and Auron was already shaken by what had happened today. We needed him to be completely in control of himself tomorrow and fully alert.
I walked over to where he sat, and though he must have heard my footsteps, he didn't look at me. Auron set the jug down long enough to unfasten his collar and slip it over his head. The pained expression had not left his face and if possible, he looked even more haggard than when I'd seen him exit Legasa's room. He reclaimed the jug from the floor and glanced up at me, smiling weakly.
"You might as well take a seat, you're not going to leave until you've said your piece, right?" Could this really be the same man I'd fallen in love with? He was treating me as though it never happened...no, not entirely. Anyone else would have been forced away. He was tolerating my presence, but his feelings for me weren't earning me as many points as I had expected. Even so, I took him up on the invitation and sat down next to him, taking care not to touch him.
I couldn't bring myself to look at him. "Auron, I don't really know how to say this without sounding like a lecture...but is it really wise to do that tonight?" I gestured to the jug he held in his lap.
Wordlessly, he replaced the cork in the container. "No, I suppose not." Whether or not he shared my concerns, I wasn't sure. I got the impression he complied simply because he wasn't in the mood to argue over something so trivial. With a wistful sigh, he reattached the jug to his belt and looked at me. "You didn't come over here just to tell me that, though, did you?"
I shook my head. "I wanted to know about that priestess. Why did she attempt...what she did? And why...why did she say all those mean things to you and then turn around and force you to agree to marry her?"
Auron slipped one arm around me and pulled me closer to him. "It's not something I really care to discuss," he stated, a hardness creeping into his voice.
"It just doesn't make any sense."
"Drop it, Rikku. It's not something I'm ready to tell you." His arm was trembling slightly. Everything about his manner, his words, his face screamed Back off! although he was making an effort to remain diplomatic.
"Promise you'll tell me later, then...I have a right to know before you go through with this..." My hurt and indignation showed through, the combined pressure of Auron's and Yuna's situations were taking their toll on me. "It's not fair, Auron! There's got to be a way around this. You should be marrying me, not her! She's nothing more than a manipulative bitch!" Whoa, where had all that come from? It felt good to get that out, but I was embarassed by my lack of self-control and I buried my head in his chest. Auron's other hand came to rest on the back of my head, holding me securely to his body. His head bent down to place a soft kiss in my hair.
"Believe me, I know. I'm sorry it happened this way. She's bitter that I refused her before I became a guardian to Braska. Legasa...always gets her way and has no qualms about using or hurting others to achieve her ends. I didn't mean to draw you into this. I wish we didn't need her help so badly..." Auron rested his head on top of my own. He spread his legs and gently arranged my body so that my hips and legs were between his, with my back and head against his torso. He wrapped both arms around me protectively.
"We should try to get some sleep. Tomorrow's going to be a long day..." I closed my eyes and leaned back against him, trying to get comfortable. "And Rikku...no matter what happens...don't forget that I do love you...that will never change." A contented smile tugged at my lips as I drifted off to sleep.
It seemed only minutes later when Auron's strong hands kneading the muscles of my shoulders awakened me. The guardian pressed his lips to the top of my head. "It's time..."
I took a deep breath, enjoying the warmth of his body and the gentleness of his touch...an island of comfort in this terrible sea of pain and hopelessness. It almost hurt to pull myself away from him, but I had to. Yuna's safety depended on it. Before dressing in the robes that we would wear to the wedding, I went to retrieve my pack. I removed Auron's folded red robe from the bag and carried it over to where he sat.
"You forgot this on the airship, when you left."
He accepted the robe, stood and began putting it on. Auron smiled as he finished dressing himself. "Maybe I forgot it on purpose." I blushed. He must have known I'd wear it whenever I could get a moment alone. It was really the only thing I had to remember him by. Granted, wrapping the robe around myself wasn't as good as having it's owner wrapped around me, but it sufficed until I arrived in Bevelle.
The group formed up quickly and after a light meal, Auron led us to the top floor of the Palace, where the wedding procession was assembling. Everyone we passed in the hallways was absorbed in some aspect of preparing for the ceremony, so no one bothered to stop or challenge us. We managed to slip into the formation of warrior-monks that would be closest to Yuna during the ceremony. Maester Kinoc put in an appearance to make a largely ceremonial inspection, and then we were herded outside and into position for the ceremony. I was thankful that his cursory glance in our direction did not take note of Auron, whom we had placed as far into the formation as possible.
Luck had favored us in our choice of position in the formation of the honor guard. Or was it by Legasa's design? It maddened me to know that I, and our rescue of Yuna were profiting from the priestess' entrapment of Auron. I hoped the risk was worth the potential gain. Rationally, I knew it was, Yuna's safety was my first priority as both her cousin and her guardian. But I couldn't shake the feeling that my cousin's freedom could only result from allowing Auron to sacrifice himself. I tried to tell myself to be strong, that Auron knew what he was doing and that questioning his motives only endangered her further. If he found the trade accpetable, then so must I.
The elaborate pavillion just yards to our left opened to reveal a single warrior monk who peered behind him and offered his hand to a delicate feminine form. Yunie! It took me a moment to recognize her in the lavish silk wedding gown she wore. Her brown hair was pulled back from her face and held in place by numerous jewel-studded pins and clips. A dazzling tiara of diamonds, pearls and other precious stones adorned the top of her head. She looked absolutely breathtaking. My heart sank as I realized that this exquisite display only thinly veiled the danger that radiated from every important personage gathered here. All my muscles tensed. Don't do it, Yunie! Really, what choice did she have? If she refused...I was sure Seymour would find a way to compel her participation. It wouldn't be pretty, but Seymour would see the job done, regardless.
She walked without assistance to her appointed position in the middle of the dais, to await the arrival of her husband...no! Seymour would never be her husband...she awaited the arrival of her jailer. The crowd parted to her right to reveal the infamous Maester himself, dressed in the elaborate regalia of his office. He moved with a grace that radiated confidence. The half-Guado took his place beside Yuna on the dais and he motioned for Maester Mika to come forward to officiate. The elderly Mika shuffled forward, stumbling slightly as he stepped on his long, flowing robes. He looked briefly at both bride and groom, and began to read from a book handed him by a young acolyte. I wanted to shout something, anything to stop the union from becoming official. I succeeded in controling myself and repressing the urge, but only barely. The would-be scream echoed in my mind...And was manifested in the real world in the form of the unmistakable roar of an airborne machina.
Father's airship swept into view at the other end of the Palace. It maneuvered quickly into position and miniature human forms on its decks fired grappling devices at various points on the Palace. Already, Al Bhed soldiers were dropping from ropes and wires, moving to confront and distract the warrior-monks guarding the approach to the dais. It took only a few seconds for the formation of the honor guard to break and rush headlong toward the Al Bhed, scrambling to ready their weapons. We didn't wait for the two groups to clash, but instead drew our own weapons and encircled Yuna. Auron boldly pushed Seymour out of the ring we had formed.
For the first time in a long while, I felt confidence begin to trickle back into my body and thoughts. We had Yuna in our protection again, we guardians had been restored to our rightful position. I allowed myself to savor our minor victory briefly and then tried to calm my fraying nerves and focus on the remainder of our task. My eyes never left Yuna, and I saw her draw a wand from its hiding place in the back of her gown. She was going to send him! I silently praised my cousin for her forethought and watched as she began to rotate the wand.
Her motions were slow at first, but they gained in momentum and speed as she began the Sending. A few stray pyreflies departed from Seymour's body before his attention focused on his would-be bride. He shouted a command to the rear ranks of monks engaged with the Al Bhed, and they came running toward us. I recognized the machina weapons they brandished and knew that there was no way we could hold them off. I fell into a fighting stance, placing myself in between my cousin and the gathering ranks of monks.
Fighting would be useless and the standoff couldn't last long. Our skills might be superior to those of the individual warrior monk, but given their numbers and weapons, they would win eventually unless someone or something intervened. Kinoc took a weapon from one of the monks and walked toward Auron.
"This has gone far enough! Stop!" said the pudgy Maseter.
Seymour walked slowly around to look at each of his bride's guardians. "You would play at marriage just for a chance to Send me? Your resolve is admirable. All the more fitting to be my lovely wife."
Yuna continued her dance, seemingly oblivious to the words of both Maesters. I silently cheered her on. Each step completed, each movement of the wand was a minor victory. Seymour's form grew transluscent as more pyreflies were liberated from his body. He continued past the ring of the guardians and watched as Yuna danced. I felt the barrel of the gun held by the monk in front of me thrust under my chin. His finger took up its position on the trigger. It looked as though he hated to wait for the order to fire.
Mika's voice rose above the din of the battle still taking place below us. "Stop! Do you not value your friends' lives? Your actions determine their fate. Protect them...or throw them away. The choice is yours." Yuna did as she was instructed, ceasing her motions and setting her staff on the ground. Seymour wasted no time in grabbing her and kissing her. No! Get the hell off of her! I saw Yuna's hands ball into fists and felt my own do the same, though she did not otherwise outwardly resist him. A wave of nausea threatened to bring me to my knees, and I struggled to resist. When the kiss was over, and the marriage sealed by a single phrase from Mika, Seymour ordered the monks to kill us.
Seymour grabbed Yunie painfully by the shouder, and hauled her toward a door leading into the inside of the top floor of the Palace. Grimacing, Yuna twisted free of his grip and ran to the edge of the building. My heart lept into my throat as I realized her intentions. Her weight was balanced precariously on her toes, the only part of her still in contact with the Palace. All she need to was lean back and..."No! Throw down your weapons. Let them go, or else..." she announced and gestured toward the empty air behind her. It shouldn't have come to this!
Seymour ordered the guards to do as Yuna suggested. The rifles were lowered and Seymour tried to talk Yuna back from the edge. But she saw through his words. Her mind was made up. It was the only way out of the marriage. Tears stung my eyes...This was not the way it was supposed to go, not the way I had envisioned the last few moments of my cousin's life. We'd come so far, risked so much to get here and for what? The first tear trickled down my cheek. I was going to lose her, and Auron in one miserable day. I reached one trembling hand in her direction, useless I was aware on some level, but that feeble gesture was all I could manage in my despair. I knew she was right...better this than Seymour...but it didn't comfort me any.
Yuna took a deep breath. Seymour must be the only one present to believe she wouldn't make good her threat. He renewed his orders to the warrior monks. "Kill them," he hissed.
"Leave now. Please!" Yuna's command was little more than a plea.
"Yunie!" I shouted in return. "Come with us!"
She shook her head slowly, "Don't worry, go!"
Seymour stepped toward her, fervently trying to slide into the role of the voice of reason. "This is foolish, if you fall, you'll die." He reached out a hand, which Yuna refused.
Yuna smiled and looked directly at me. She must have known what I was feeling, for her comments seemed directed at me specifically. "Don't worry, I can fly...Believe..." With that, she stepped back. Her words had reassured me slightly, but it seemed my stomach fell from that wall with her.
When she disappeared from sight, I returned to reality with a jolt. I recovered my senses and quickly decided how best to take advantage of Yuna's actions. I reached into one of my packs and withdrew a flash grenade...it should be enough to cover our escape. Putting all of my fury behind my arm, I activated and propelled the device at Seymour. It went off right in front of his face and utter chaos resulted. Shouting to the others, I took off toward the opposite end of the Palace and the unguarded door that led toward the Cloister of Trials. If Yunie really could fly, that's where she'd be headed. We elbowed, shoved, and ran over stunned warrior monks as we made our way to the entrance and found the stairs we sought.
We ran down the long spiral staircase that led to the Cloister of Trials, driven by our concern for our Summoner. This part of the Palace was populated by various machina and indeed, the apparatus used for the trial appeared to be a large machina as well. I heard Auron's statement of disgust at Yevon's betrayal of its own teachings, and Wakka's gasp of disbelief. We recovered quickly and set about solving the puzzle to open the way to the Chamber of the Fayth. We crowded onto the various platforms and rode them in every direction, craning to see where the myriad paths of the device's other platforms led. The trial passed in a haze, I didn't care about which spheres went where or what gates they opened. I wanted only to find Yuna safe from both her fall and Maester Seymour. Finally, we solved the puzzle, admittedly without much help from me. I was too preoccupied to be of much use.
When we entered the Chamber, we found Yuna on her knees, communing with the Fayth. Relief flooded me, and my tension dissolved almost completely. Had Tidus not rushed foward to take her in his arms at the end of her prayer, I might have done it instead. Yuna was alive, in possession of Bevelle's Aeon, and safely away from Seymour. Everything might just turn out alright, after all. There wasn't much time for celebration, however, because by now Kinoc and Seymour would have figured out our intentions and made somekind of move to stop us. We needed to leave as soon as possible.
Auron, Kimahri, Lulu, Wakka, and I exited the Chamber first, with Tidus close behind. As soon as the antechamber came into view, I regretted ever stepping out the door. The form of Maester Kinoc came into view, accompanied by contingent of warrior monks. With a simple gesture from Kinoc, the warriors surrounded us and waited for Tidus to emerge. I shouted a warning to him, but was rewarded only with a rifle butt in the gut. My warning was too late anyway, as Tidus was already out of the Chamber, Yuna still in his arms.
A warrior monk handed off his weapon to a comrade and stepped forward to take possession of Yuna. Tidus realized that it was in his best interest to comply and did so, reluctantly. As elated as I had been just moments ago, I was thrust as deeply back into despair. We had almost made it, we were so close. Yuna, I tried...and it wasn't enough! Grief and shame tore my heart in half. There was no outlet for my feelings.
"There's the last of them," Kinoc seemed pleased with himself. "You are to stand trial," he informed us.
Auron answered him first, sarcasm apparent in his voice. "I expect it will be a fair trial..." Auron...the one person who had the power to comfort me in my failure...he was unreachable through a wall of warrior monks.
"Of course it will," Kinoc said without hesitation. Somehow, I didn't believe him. We were herded away to a block of cells on the street level of the Palace. The only thing that sustained me through that trek was the solemn promise that played over and over in my mind: I will have revenge...I will redeem myself...if it costs me everything...Promises, I realized, the eldest of our number had made in his own mind so many years ago...