Chapter 19
The trial was as much of a sham as I expected it to be. Really, it was nothing more than a platform for Yevon's Maesters to pontificate about their own righteousness and the truth of Yevon's teachings. We were guilty before we even set foot in the room. The proceedings were only for show, although some unsettling facts were also revealed to us. Half of the Maesters were unsent and the other half knew of and approved of it. After judgement was passed, we were returned to our cells, officially branded traitors to Yevon.
While we awaited word concerning our sentences, Tidus paced the cell restlessly. Lulu and Wakka talked quietly in one corner, Yuna tried to get some rest while Kimahri looked over her, and I stood next to Auron, not really knowing what to say. I wanted to talk to him, to lean against him, but I was afraid to in the presence of the others. I burned inside, longing to take some action to relieve my pent up frustration and rage at the previous day's events. My apprenhension about the trial, our sentences, and Yuna's and Auron's fates kept me from sleeping during the night. I did not seek comfort from Auron even then, it didn't seem proper to burden him with my feelings. He was probably having a hard enough time with his own, though being Auron, he would never have admitted it.
Before long, Maester Kinoc and High Priestess Legasa arrived at the front of our cell, with a number of warrior monks in tow. Kinoc unlocked the cell and stepped back. "Come out, your sentences have been decided. The guards will take you away as your sentences are passed."
Auron snorted. "Sentence? Don't you mean, execution?"
Kinoc chuckled. "Really, now, what person would execute a dear friend?"
Auron's gaze never left Kinoc's and his tone was dead serious. "You would."
Kinoc ignored him. "Summoner Yuna, please come forward. The High Court of Yevon has found you guilty of treason, but in its wisdom, has found also that you hold the potential for redemption. Your service to the people of Spira will continue after you are purified of your crimes." Yuna nodded and walked away with the warrior monks who surrounded her. I could only admire the courage with which she faced the Maester. Who knew what this "purification" would entail?
"Guardians Tidus, Rikku, and Wakka. The High Court of Yevon has pronounced you guilty of treason and found you beyond redemption. You will die like the heretics you are." We were seized by the warrior monks. Wakka and Tidus allowed themselves to be taken away without a struggle, but I fought against the monk who tried to restrain me.
"Auron!" I screamed. He didn't look at me, because he must have known there was nothing to be done.
Legasa's cold voice intervened before the monk could subdue me. "Allow her to remain, Maester Kinoc. What harm is there in her knowing the fates of her fellow guardians?" She smiled faintly...the high priestess was a superb actress and no doubt had something planned to the end of prolonging my torture.
Kinoc agreed, and the monk released me for the moment. "Guardians Kimahri Ronso and Lulu, you too have been found guilty of treason by the High Court of Yevon, but you hold within you the potential for redemption. Go now, to your purification." They followed the monks that came forward to take possession of them.
Kinoc had not yet addressed Auron, apparently the two were old friends. Shaking his head, the pudgy Maester turned to face the scarlet guardian. "Auron...The High Priestess tells me that you owe her a debt that takes precedence over your sentence. I have agreed to release you to her custody in order to fulfill your obligation to her. Walk the path of Yevon, Auron, and you will never be forced to endure your sentence...Fail to, and not even she or I can save you." With that, Kinoc turned from his friend to the priestess.
"Should I order the monks to take the Al Bhed heathen with me, or do you require her, as well?"
Legasa rubbed her chin thoughtfully, going over the possibilities in her mind. "Leave the Al Bhed with me. When I am finished with her, I will see to it that she is brought to the appropriate place...but for now, I have one final lesson for her."
Kinoc seemed confused and somewhat doubtful of the priestess, but he didn't object. "Very well, High Priestess. I warn you, keep a close eye on the two of them. If anything happens, I will hold you responsible." Gesturing to the remaining warrior monks, Kinoc departed and they fell into formation behind them.
Would Auron really allow her to go through with this? Did he have any choice? The executions of myself, Wakka, and Tidus and the carrying out of the "purifcation" sentences for the others would take time, so clearly the pilgrimage was on hold for the time being...assuming the party was able to avoid their various fates. Speaking of which...what could Legasa want me around for? Silly question, Rikku, she gets the most out of torturing Auron if you have to watch...
Legasa turned to toward me, not bothering to hide the sneer that twisted her features. "You poor thing...don't you want to go to your death knowing your lover is in good hands?" The barb stung, and I did my best to hide my reaction. My eyes narrowed and I regarded her with all the hatred in my being...my hatred for Seymour, my hatred for her, my hatred for the loss of both Auron and Yuna, my hatred of my own failures.
I should have stayed silent, but I couldn't. My temper and emotions got the best of me. "Leave me alone, you heartless bitch! Leave Auron alone!"
The priestess smiled at me, fully aware that no words or actions of mine could compel her to obey me. "My dear...you know that isn't possible. Auron is an honorable man. He would never break his word, once given, and I've no intent of releasing him from his promise...despite his - and your - dismal failure yesterday. I'm sure his...performance will improve once you're out of the way."
Legasa turned toward the raven haired guardian. "And you...I expected more from you, Auron. I was promised a legendary guardian, a man who, alongside the great Braska, defeated Sin. Yet in his place, I see an ungrateful, feckless shadow of the man I know you can be. Will you ever cease to disappoint me? Will you ever be worth the time and effort I'm willing to invest in you?"
Auron's forehead furrowed and his eye narrowed behind the dark glasses. I would have given everything I still possessed to see if the expression his collar hid was one of extreme rage, or humiliation. Still, he did not speak. Legasa frowned momentarily. Lambasting him wasn't achieving the desired effect. The High Priestess' features took on a magnanimous, almost pitying cast. Time to try the other end of the spectrum.
Legasa took a few long, graceful strides toward Auron. She removed Auron's glasses and collar without protest from him, and embraced him, kissing him deeply. Auron stood there, dumbfounded, and endured her treatment. I wanted to cry out, to do anything to stop her.
"A minor setback, Auron. No matter, we will succeed eventually. No doubt it won't take long, with your abilities at my command. Yes, Auron, you're mine now. There won't be any escape this time." She reached up to caress his cheek. The smallest of shivers ran down Auron's spine, imperceptible to all but those who knew him well.
My hands curled into fists and my knuckles turned white when I didn't release them. Legasa was taking too many liberties...but then again, she probably intended to torture him as much as she could while he was still useful to her. It wouldn't be any fun, otherwise. Legasa's face lost its forgiving demeanor. Did she really think that stunt had caused him to view her as anything other than a torturer? I saw her fingers reach for his scar, running them down through the deep trough in the flesh.
"Since I'll be forced to abide your presence, Auron, we'll have to see what can be done about this. I'm sure we can find a way to make you more...presentable, although you'll never regain the beauty of your youth. Truly a pity...such a waste," Legasa continued to taunt him. Auron's body began to tremble visibly now, and the priestess must be playing upon her subject's response. There was nothing he could do to release himself from such treatment, Auron would never break a promise. And this was only the beginning of his ordeal...
Auron's breath came in ragged gasps. Somewhere, she'd succeeded in getting to him. How? Auron always seemed to resilient, so strong, impervious to both physical and emotional harm...at least from others. How could one woman hold so much power over him...a woman he hated with all his heart? Her hands remained on his shoulders, and his head slumped forward, his eye shut as tightly as possible. And then I realized, it wasn't Legasa's words that hurt him...they only served as a trigger for the feelings and memories that came flooding back into his mind. She was making him torture himself...and doing it quite well.
I was extremely jealous of the woman in that instant. I yearned to have the same ability...not to hurt him with, just the opposite. If she could see into him so completely as to be able to break him this quickly, surely the very same technique must possess the potential to heal. It fit with an old Al Bhed truism: Technology itself is neither good nor evil - though its implementation may serve either end.
Auron spasmed in pain and his head jerked back. He took a deep breath and struggled to master himself. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead and fell with his movements. Finally, he locked gazes with the priestess. "I will do your bidding, Legasa...just allow me one request..." The guardian's normally rich, deep voice threatened to break.
Legasa also struggled to control herself...except it was amusement she tried to keep from showing. "You're hardly in a position to bargain Auron...you've already made your deal, remember? You're my creature now and you will do my bidding regardless of what you say now."
The guardian snapped. Completely. His voice wavered and his body trembled. Every word that left his mouth did so only because he won a battle against both the darker side of himself and Legasa's will. "I did not say I would obey willingly," he gasped. "I can make things very...difficult for you. You would waste precious time, when you could have my full cooperation by granting me what I ask of you now."
Auron's threat, though delivered weakly, rang true to the priestess. She knew it could be as he said. Yet, he was willing to bargain away the last of his power, for the right price. That look on her face, it said, 'it might be worth the cost.' Legasa asked, "And just what are you asking of me?"
The red-clad guardian's legs gave out and he sank to his knees gracelessly. There was no sign of physical pain on his face. "Spare Rikku and Yuna. Ensure their escapes from this place. If you grant me this, I will surrender myself completely to you."
His last act as Yuna's guardian...and as my...my...what was he to me, anyway? It was a trivial matter, to be sure, but something we had never really discussed. We were in love, but had never been lovers, we were not betrothed, but he was far more than a mere boyfriend. He was...so different from me, yet he represented the sort of kindred spirit I was sure never to encounter again. Did he know? Beyond "I love you," did he really know how I felt? Three simple words. They said much, but hid even more. What good was "love" if it was nebulous and ill-defined? What did two people truly represent to each other if they never explored any deeper than those four inadequate letters?
Legasa smiled openly. "Very well, Auron. For what it's worth, I will spare your Summoner and your...love interest. But you will never mention the name of either again. You will obey me in all things, without question and without hesitation." Auron only nodded. The priestess turned fully toward him and hauled the man roughly to his feet with a strength I had not thought possible. "You will love me, as you should have all those years ago." That damned four-letter word again...Legasa placed his limp arms around her shoulders, took his head in her delicate hands, and kissed him again.
I could endure no more. Auron may have given his word to this horrible woman, but I had not. I was too absorbed in my own compounding rage and grief to be conscious of my hand as it reached into my pack to retrieve a little-used weapon. My katar. My fingers curled around the metal that would lay across my palm and the guide bars took up their places on either side of my wrist. Slowly, I withdrew the blade from its battered scabbard. I became aware of myself trying frantically to steady the weapon, with its unfamiliar balance point.
She would torment him no more. He'd given his word in good faith and deserved better than this from her. Agreeing to help her accomplish a goal was one thing, but submitting himself to this kind of treatment for...Yevon knows how long! Any amount of time was too long. I could not see Auron reduced to the tool of a vindictive, possessive woman like Legasa. The price was simply too high. Someone needed to save him, to spare him the agony that awaited him...the agony he must have known about when he made his choice to give up his freedom.
I lunged forward and pushed the armor piercing tip of the weapon into her back. My failures, my fears, my frustration, at myself, at Auron, at Yuna...they all rode on that blade, they all propelled it forward. It met only with some initial resistance and then slid into the priestess as though into its own sheath. As soon as the blade had buried its entire length in the woman, and her blood flowed onto my knuckles, I withdrew the weapon easily. She gasped, fell back, and called Auron's name with her final breath. Where a maelstrom of emotion had existed within me mere seconds before, there was only an empty space. That single strike was a catharsis I could have never achieved otherwise. But I did not feel relieved, I did not feel better. I did not feel at all.
He didn't move, but stood there and watched her die. I had acted from instinct, doing the only thing I could have done to protect Auron from his fate. But now the reality of my actions dawned on me...I'd murdered Legasa. Auron's life was never in danger...it couldn't be, he was already dead. I fell to my knees, convulsing uncontrollably.
Auron stepped forward, over the fallen priestess, and fixed his gaze on me. "That was unnecessary."
"Auron! How can you say that? She...she took such joy in taunting you. And that was just the least of it. You weren't a person to her Auron, you were a toy, an automaton. She took...everything from you. How long would you have allowed it to go on, forever? She'd keep you from your pilgrimage, your Sending, everything!" How could he not understand? His words made me think. Had I really struck out at her to prevent Auron's suffering, or my own?
"She was no saint, but neither did she deserve to die, Rikku." His tone was cold, distant, full of condemnation. This was not what I needed from him right now. He was supposed to be comforting me, thanking me for freeing him from that awful promise Legasa had extracted from him...but he didn't. He treated me like a criminal, as though I had no justification for my actions.
"Who made you the authority, Auron? I don't regret killing her, and I'd do it all over again given the chance! I did it...for you." The guardian turned his back to me.
"Then you're no better than she was. She may have manipulated people, but she never killed anyone. You speak of authority, Rikku...who gave you the authority to judge her unworthy of living?" He began to walk away from me. I should have known life and death was going to be a touchy subject for Auron. By his own confession, he'd lost his own before he really knew how precious it was. Was he really angry at me for killing her, or at the waste of life?
"We need to catch up with the others before the sentences are carried out. We'll deal with this more fully when we've the time." With that, he collected his collar and glasses, and departed in the direction the monks had taken our comrades.
Even Auron admitted it wasn't over. What more was there to say to me? I tried frantically to push thoughts of Auron from my mind. He was absolutely right. There was no time to deal with this now, not with Yuna's and the others' fates still in the air. I scrambled to cover the distance his long, purposeful strides had opened between us, wishing there were a way to close the other distance that surely lay between us. The silence was maddening. I liked it better when he yelled at me...at least then I wouldn't have to wonder what was going through his mind.
When I caught up to him, I asked, "Where do you think they've been taken?"
Auron only grunted at first, and increased the pace of his strides a bit to try to shake me. When it was clear that I wasn't going to drop off, he finally answered. "They will likely be in a holding cell near the entrance to the Via Purifico. It is close to the site where both executions and purifications are carried out. No doubt they will be under heavy guard. It will be a good chance for you to work off the rest of your murderous rage."
"You mean we're going to break them out? Won't that attract the attention of the entire garrison?" Was Auron really this obtuse, or did he have a plan?
"I have an...exit in mind. One which they surely won't dare to follow us through." I got the impression he didn't want to say any more. "And, Rikku?" He looked directly at me for the first time since we left Legasa's body, though he maintained his brisk pace.
"Yeah?" I was afraid to hear what would come next. No doubt another harsh condemnation of my actions.
I was right. "Don't do anything stupid. This will require the efforts of both of us to pull off. If I need 'saving' I will be sure to let you know." Ouch! Maybe I should have left Auron with Legasa after all...if he was going to be like this. No, how could I think that? Auron, even in this state was better than Auron's absence.
Auron said nothing more in the time it took us to reach the holding cell he'd mentioned. The swordsman stopped short of turning the last corner that would bring the cell into full view and instructed me to give him an assessment of the situation. I peered around the corner cautiously.
Auron had been correct. No less than two score warrior monks, all bearing rifles, were positioned around the holding cell. I passed the information onto Auron. "Do you have any of those flash grenades left?"
I shook my head. "They took the rest of my ready-made explosives when we were captured."
"But you still have raw materials?"
"The odd potion or two, some remnants of fiends I kept as souvenirs...Hey! I might be able to whip up something from these." I searched frantically through the bits of debris I'd collected. I might not have any flash grenades left, but if I took the sphere I'd retrieved from the field after a particularly nasty battle with a lightning fiend and combined it with one of these...My hands worked swiftly to weave the two objects together. I was sure the resulting product would be relatively stable, until it impacted something when thrown. I showed the device to Auron.
"What do you think it will do?" he asked.
"Hmm...it should make a really bright flash, like the grenade did, but there will also be quite a bit of noise, too. Between the two, it should stun them long enough for us to retrieve the key, free the others, and make whatever exit you have planned...if we know what we're doing." It must have been the first time Auron asked my advice about anything.
He unsheathed his sword, fell easily into a battle stance, and motioned for me to throw the makeshift grenade. I warned him to close his eyes and cover his ears before I hurled it at the formation of warrior monks, then ducked behind the corner and prepared for the impact. The device did as promised, delivering a searing burst of light and a loud concussion. Though dazed ourselves, we recovered quickly enough to take in the various convulsing and unconscious forms of the warrior monks before the cell.
We had little trouble finding the key and unlocking the cell. The monks would be out for quite some time, but we had overlooked one very important problem with our plan. Our comrades had not been warned about the grenade, and had fallen victim to its effects as well. Luckily, they had been further back from the explosion than most of the warrior monks. Auron stood guard and made sure none of the monks regained consciousness, while I made my rounds of the party trying to shake the others awake. I tried Yuna first, meeting with success only when I grabbed my cousin roughly by the shoulders and shook her vigorously.
It took some minutes to get the others to come around, but I was able to awaken them all. We couldn't afford to give them much time to rest here, and Auron was already helping Yuna out of the cell and toward a large pit to the right of the area. One by one, we moved the other guardians over to the same place, and descended into the darkness. Progress was slow, but we eventually came to a rocky corridor where the passage dipped below the waterline.
"What is this place?" I asked Auron.
"I think it's best if you don't know. You might lose your nerve." With that, he walked away.
We were finally far enough from the Palace proper to take a few minutes to administer potions to the other members of the party. The Al Bhed potions I had brought from Father's airship worked quickly to take away the last effects of the makeshift flash grenade. From here, Auron told us, we would have to swim the rest of the way. He didn't look happy about it either, but he clearly wanted to get it over with.
We went into the water in pairs, with a strong swimmer accompanying a weaker one. Tidus flew to Yuna's side before I could get there. I wanted to be the one to guide my cousin through the dark, winding, watery passage, but I didn't have the heart to pry her away from Tidus. Although they might not want to admit it, the two were beginning to become close. I wondered if Auron and I had been that obvious early on...Speaking of Auron, I was stuck with him since Wakka claimed Lulu and Yuna was accompanied by Tidus. Kimahri insisted that he could make it without help.
The water wasn't really that cold once we'd been in for a time, and we fell into a kind of pattern. Each pair took a turn leading the way, scouting ahead for air pockets where we could rest our aching lungs and take in fresh air for the next segment of our journey. I don't recall how many such stops we made, but I was grateful for each. All those deep water salvage missions were definately an asset in navigating these dark caves. During each brief rest, I was able to recover almost fully, though Auron fared nowhere near as well. Each time we surfaced, he appeared visibly weaker, gasping for air. He was tiring too quickly, and we had no way of knowing how much father we had to go before reaching the outside.
Auron was increasingly relying on me to pull some of his weight along, and and doing so began to sap my own strength. The guardian was large and heavy, even taking into account the buoyancy of the water. Hadn't he ever done any swimming? We entered a large, open chamber, and floated to the top, hoping the surface of the water would be well below the ceiling of the large cave. Luckily, there was a sizable air pocket present, and we stopped to catch our breaths. Before we could completely recover from the last leg of the swim, waves began to appear in the water. Something very large and waterborne was heading in our direction. I submerged with Auron to see what it could be.
A long, scaly figure rushed into the room through the mouth of a cave on the far side. A serpent? No...a dragon, but not one like I'd ever seen before. Its eyes were glazed over and its scales were pale and dull looking. It could only be undead. I reached for my weapon with one hand, and maintained my grip on Auron with the other. The others had seen the beast arrive and were preparing for battle. The dragon got in the first strike, by virtue of its momentum and delivered a devastating blow to Kimahri with its tail.
Tidus was motioning frantically to Yuna, urging her to do something, but I wasn't sure what that could be. Yuna was having the same problem and Tidus kept repeating the gesture, trying to get her to understand. Beside me, Auron suddenly ceased treading water. His body went completely limp and began to sink, dragging me with him. I sheathed my weapon, put both arms around him and kicked as hard as I could, trying to keep us close to the group. The dragon must have sensed what was happening and swung around to face us.
Wakka hurled his blitzball at the back of the creature's head, successfully distracting it. The redhead gestured in the direction of the cave the dragon had used as an entrance, and I dragged Auron toward it. The exit was on the bottom of the chamber, so I allowed Auron's weight to bring us both down to the proper level, then I took up kicking again and propelled us forward. My lungs began to burn as I reached the end of my oxygen supply, and a good portion of the cave still lay in front of us.
I ignored the sensation and swam on as best I could manage, finally clearing the cave, and emerging into an illuminated body of water. We must be outside! With the last of my strength, I brought us to the closest shore, and dragged Auron out of the water. I sucked in the fresh air, trying to resupply my oxygen-starved blood. Auron wasn't breathing. I hauled the soaking, red-clad guardian to a sitting position as quickly as I could and swatted him on the back. He leaned forward, coughed, and began to spit out the water in his lungs. I relaxed a bit when he coughed up the last of the water and was breathing steadily, if shallowly again.
Behind us, the others emerged from the water and collapsed on the shore. I was relieved to see them alive and victorious. I'd felt bad about leaving in the middle of the battle, but I don't know what else I could have done. I went over to check on Yuna and then began to help the others set up camp. Auron disappeared into his tent as soon as it was ready, without so much as a word to anyone else. I remained outside, helping with the various camp chores until there was nothing left to be done, then sought my own tent for the night.