A/N: *grins* This is a good chapter...I hope you guys enjoy it after complaining about my cliffhanger from last chapter.
Chapter 23: In With the Tide
Quistis looked out over the crowd of people, her palms sweating nervously. Seifer was staring at her, his green eyes wide and afraid. She knew that she was walking the line between betraying him and betraying the rest of her friends. Unknown to all of them, however, Quistis had a plan. She'd spoken extensively to Cid and discovered all she could about the way Seifer's case was going to be presented.
Her eyes traveled momentarily to Edea. The very day that she had given up custody of Seifer, she had contacted Matron. She'd been worried at first that the other woman wouldn't be able to show up in time.
A little, balding man (the Galbadian lawyer) wandered up to her, his hands in his pockets. Quistis immediately disliked him. He knew that she'd balked at the idea of testifying against Seifer, and he was going to make it as difficult as possible for her to say what she wanted. But, try as he might, it was going to be said. That, partly, was why Edea was present.
"Quistis Trepe," he looked up at her, "you're the SeeD who brought Mr. Almasy in, are you not."
"I am not," she replied, looking back at him calmly.
Her answer surprised him.
"You're not?" he asked. "May I remind you that you're under oath."
"Seifer came back of his own will," Quistis answered. Everyone shifted in their seats, but Seifer was easing up a bit. The tense look on his face was starting to relax. Quistis was going to do all she could to save him, and when he plan unfolded she felt confident that he'd have a shot at getting off.
"If he came back completely on his own, why were you...the SeeD assigned to hunt him down...with him?" The lawyer wasn't a very good one, he was playing right into what Quistis wanted to say. But, her first response had interrupted his flow of thought.
"I followed him into Timber, and when I found him he wasn't the same man I was looking for," she replied. "And, he saved my life when we got caught in a snowstorm."
"What about years ago, didn't he try to kill you?"
"No, he did not."
The lawyer, and most of the people in the audience, stared at her with wide eyes.
"Are you saying the battles on Lunatic Pandora and Galbadia Garden never took place?" he asked in disbelief.
"No," Quistis shook her head. "But Seifer's intention clearly was to defend Edea Kramer, who had taken care of him as a child, from what he perceived as a threat." Quistis had learned over time that the truth was subjective, and stories what the truth really was would differ by perspective.
"But he physically attacked you, didn't he?" the lawyer asked, trying his best to pry something out of her.
"No, he didn't," Quistis admitted. During the course of the battle he had never physically attacked her.
"But he attacked other members of your group," the balding man seemed suddenly proud of himself, thinking he had blocked Quistis into a corner.
"No, I don't believe that he did," Quistis replied. "We made the first move, he only reacted to our offense. Self-defense, if you'll recall, is not a crime."
"He attacked this very Garden," the lawyer pointed out.
"We would have attacked his first had we been prepared to do so," she shrugged. "Only days before this very Garden had been attacking itself when most of the students went on a hunt for Cid and the SeeDs."
It was unfair to persecute Seifer for his wrongs while so many others were going to go completely unnoticed. Seifer was smiling at her, so was Edea. Squall's look was indifferent, and the expressions from the rest of her friends (aside from Rinoa) were simply confused. Rinoa was beaming, her hands gripping tightly onto Squall's arm.
"Seifer has already been punished for anything he may have done wrong," Quistis went on, knowing that she was speaking out of turn. "He's been on the run for two years now, living in the most unforgiving areas of the world. He's been banished from his home, he can't see his friends, and he can't go anywhere without worrying someone may shoot him in the back for the bounty on his head."
She took a breath, raising her voice when the lawyer went to stop her.
"He's a better man than you would ever hope to be," she barked. "He came back here on his own to face this. I for one would not have had I been in his shoes. He saved my life when all I meant to him was someone who was after his head. He has earned my respect."
"We're all very glad that you're so fond of Mr. Almasy," the lawyer was getting irritated, but Quistis had already made her point, and it was evident in the sudden unease of those sitting in the rows behind Seifer. Quistis, however, still had a few tricks left up her sleeve. Edea and Faber weren't just present to calm Seifer's nerves.
She nodded at Edea as she was told to sit down, the lawyer having had enough of her unwillingness to cooperate. It didn't really matter, she would get her chance to say everything that needed to be said later. She returned to her seat feeling an odd amount of satisfaction. Irvine and Zell shifted in their seats on either side of her.
"Was all of that true?" Zell asked her. "All of that about how he saved your life and everything?"
"Yeah," she nodded. "He's changed, Zell."
The little blonde man chewed at his bottom lip. He'd never liked Seifer, but he didn't necessarily wish anything bad on the other man. He wanted Seifer to get what he deserved, and that suddenly wasn't looking like he didn't deserve anything severe.
"Rinoa thinks you like him," Irvine whispered from the other side. She had heard of Rinoa's theory, based mostly on the fact that since she'd been working tirelessly everyday since returning with Seifer to get him off on all charges. It wasn't terribly difficult to figure out that she felt something toward him. Quistis, after all, hadn't been doing much to hide the fact.
Cid, certainly, had picked up on it. He'd nearly said as much when she was sitting in his office discussing her trip. When she'd left she'd been as unrelenting toward Seifer as anyone. She'd returned as one of his strongest supporters. Combined with her sudden interest in how the trial was going to go, Cid had come to the obvious conclusion.
She still remembered sitting across the desk from him as he observed her through his wire rimmed glasses.
"You like him, don't you?" He'd asked, causing her to blush.
"Sir..." she'd stammered. "I'm just worried he'd not going to get the representation he should have."
Cid had been nothing but helpful after that slightly embarrassing incident. He'd rushed the trail in order to prevent a good defense from being put together. He'd even helped Quistis put together her master plan that was currently unfolding. The fact that he was part of the jury which would decide Seifer's fate lifted her spirits, and she had hope again. It had been terribly hard to listen as accusations were leveled at him, and she'd shared in his pain in the beginning of the trial.
The next few hours droned on in the same manner, more witnesses coming up to the stand to tell of Seifer's wrong doings. No one had anticipated Quistis' testimony to turn out as it had, and the level of unrest in the room was palpable. A few of the witnesses even expressed some doubt as to their story, wondering aloud if perhaps they had been swayed by popular opinion. Quistis guessed that for the most part they had been. Seifer's bark was worse than his bite.
The last witness against him had just left the stand when suddenly Edea Kramer stood up from her seat. It was all part of the plan, and Quistis was thrilled.
"If I now may be allowed to speak," she announced, her voice booming over the make-shift courtroom, "I believe I can offer a very unique perspective not yet explored."
Everyone turned and looked at her, all of them knowing who she was.
"Since it appears Seifer will have no defense, you should at least allow me to say my piece."
The air stood still for several minutes before Cid nodded to his wife, signaling the board's acquiescence. They were practicing an odd mix of law from Galbadia, Esthar, and SeeD. Seifer needed no lawyer to represent him, and really was entitled to no say in the matter whatsoever. But, with the board's acceptance, Edea could speak without interruption. Leaving Faber to sit in his seat, she stood up and walked around to the front of the room.
"I've raised Seifer since he was a tiny little boy," she announced. "He's always had his dreams, and he was determined to follow them. I knew of his desire to be a knight and pledge his service, which is why I assumed that SeeD would be the perfect place for him. I'll admit, he was troubled. His family life hadn't gone well, and he didn't take the loss of his family easily. He was withdrawn, and even a bit of a bully. But, at the same time, he was courageous and quick witted."
Edea took a breath, smiled at Quistis and went on.
"I'm not sure exactly at what point Ultimecia took possession of me, but I distinctly remember seeing Seifer run into the Timber TV station and take the Galbadian president hostage," she looked down toward the ground. "Being in possession of me, Ultimecia was also in possession of my memories and she recognized him immediately along with his weakness. As he was backed into a corner, she...I...went to him. Quistis Trepe was running after him, meaning to save him...but Ultimecia stopped her. He recognized me somewhat, although I was a different person. Ultimecia gave him dreams...dreams of family and happiness. Everything he wanted was at the tip of her fingers."
She paced as she spoke, everyone hanging on her every word.
"Seifer was not of his own mind," she sighed, pushing back her dark hair. "He was as much under her control as I was. She fed him the worst sort of propaganda. Seifer honestly believed that all of SeeD was evil, that he was doing the right thing by protecting me. If he failed, or if he did wrong in any way, Ultimecia punished him. She'd take away the dreams, or worse...she'd further play with his already tortured mind."
Edea's testimony was difficult for Quistis to listen to, but she forced herself to pay attention.
"In the end, I was not punished for crimes much higher than poor Seifer's," she reminded them. "I killed President Deling. I instigated the attack upon Balamb Garden. I fought the children I had raised in the Deling City parade. I ordered Seifer to torture Squall, or anyone else if necessary. I ordered the missile attacks."
The reminder of her own crimes, although not really hers, was a poignant example.
"Since the war, Seifer has been running for his life because no one can find it in their heat to forgive him," Edea's hand came up to touch her chest. "All the blame has been leveled at him, despite the insignificant role that he really played. He has been banished from seeing his family or friends, he has lived on the very outskirts of civilization alone and starving. You have already punished this man far more than he should have been. Seifer Almasy is a good man...I love him with all of my heart, as do many of the children at the orphanage. There is nothing in this world quite so good a judge in character as a small child, and I have seen nothing but trust and admiration displayed toward him. Quistis Trepe has said it, and I will say it. Seifer has earned my respect along with my love. You all should be so lucky as to have such a man in your lives."
She took her seat, leaving the floor open, but all was silence.
Faber came out of his seat and walked to Seifer's, climbing up in his lap at the perfect moment. Seifer flushed with embarrassment at the child action, but it was all as Quistis had planned. No one could dislike a man that a child loved as much as Faber loved Seifer.
All but the shrewdest observer considered it an emotional turn of events. No one had any idea it had all been Quistis' planning and imagination. And, should what she had done thus far fail, she still had a backup plan. Seifer was not going to die, no matter what she had to do to prevent it.
Irvine leaned over, smelling sweet as usual. "You a psychic or something?" he asked.
"Not that I'm aware of," she smiled at him.
"Anyone else who would like to take the floor, please do so now," one of the officials presiding over the trail announced.
To everyone's surprise, even Quistis', Rinoa stood up. The petite brunette walked up the isle from her seat, everyone watching her. Quistis, knowing the past that Seifer and Rinoa shared, wasn't at all sure whether her need to speak was a good or a bad thing.
"Seifer is in this whole mess because of me," she announced, her dark gaze turning to him for a moment. "He came to Timber to help me, and if he had stayed behind none of this would have ever happened. I was...er...dating him at the time." She scratched at the back of her head, sending a look in Squall's direction. "I even thought I was in love with him. He was always so confident, he made me feel like I could take on the world. Seifer's not a bad guy at heart, I've seen the good side of him...the sweet side of him."
That, apparently, was all she had to say on the matter. She hadn't been called as a witness to tell about when he'd thrown her to Adel, which Quistis thought was odd. It had, after all, been one of his worst moments. But, as Rinoa took her seat ending her little interruption in Quistis' plan, she was just as ready to watch the rest of it unfold.
"I'd like to say somethin'...ya know!" She grinned inwardly, watching the look of surprise cross Seifer's face as Raijin and Fujin walked to the front of the room from the far back seats that Quistis had acquired for them. With his mouth hanging open, Seifer looked quickly to Quistis who smiled back at him.
"Seifer's a good guy, ya know," Raijin began.
"FRIEND!" Fujin agreed.
"Ultimecia was just using him. He was a different guy then, ya know. We hardly even recognized him," Raijin shrugged his wide, brown shoulders.
"PUPPET!" Fujin threw in.
Seifer was smiling at his friends. He'd missed them...his posse. They had always been there for him, until he was doing something that wasn't of his own will. They recognized that he was being used, that they were defending the sorceress and not him. That was the one and only point in which they had abandoned him. He'd lost touch with them over his years of exile, but when Quistis contacted them and informed them of the situation, both were more than happy to come.
By the time the two had sat down again, Seifer had his face buried against Faber's shoulder. She supposed he was attempting to look weary, but most everyone could tell that he was touched by the sudden out pouring of support. The man with no friends had suddenly discovered that he had quite a few after all. No one had abandoned him.
The audience shifted, a few people clearing their throats uncomfortably.
That was it, Quistis had done all she could. She crossed her fingers at her knees, Irvine watching her with curious eyes, and said a small prayer. It was in Cid's hands now.
