Chapter Twenty-Two
The last mile
After all accounts were settled and a few changes were made in the room sharing situation, the night at the Agency was mostly uneventful, which Aurie and Pacce, bruised though he was, found quite unfortunate. No one said anything much about the previous evening's events as they left the next morning, prepared to return to Bevelle. Auron did not explain how he knew or even why there was trouble waiting for them, thinking it best merely to return and face the consequences of his, not to mention Gatta's, actions. Although, to be fair, he did hope that the leaders of Yevon were not too hard on Sir Gatta for helping them to escape Bevelle with the information they needed to find and protect Yuna.
That morning as they tramped through the Thunder Plains, Tidus walked at Auron's side. Something was weighing heavily on the blitzer's mind. That was plain to see. Auron knew that he had had words with Yuna, but he wasn't certain if he wanted to know what kind. It was Tidus who spoke first, though upon another matter that was also close to both of their hearts.
"You've spent a lot of time with Tida." stated Tidus, almost as though it were the beginning of an accusation.
"Yes."
"She looks up to you. I guess, maybe she sees what she always wanted in a father in you."
"I am hardly a father figure to her." disputed Auron, thinking to himself, "At least, that is not what I see in her eyes."
"Well ... maybe not, but when she looks at me, do you think she just sees someone about her own age?"
"I don't think Tida makes that mistake."
"Really?"
"Yes." he answered.
Tidus did not speak further on the subject, but it was all too obvious that it was still upon his mind even after they entered Macalania and drew near to Bevelle.
The road entering Bevelle was lined with soldiers, one upon either side from the very beginning of the Highbridge to its end at the Citadel. With a gesture from Lady Yuna, who led the company upon the last leg of the march, Wakka, Rikku, Lulu, and Pacce, who was sporting a terrific black eye, moved to surround the four who had come from the Farplane and the children. As they did this Tidus glanced back to see the soldiers leaving their positions and following them.
"We won't be going back out that way unless they let us." he thought gloomily.
Auron, whose hand kept straying absently toward the hilt of his blade, did not particularly like Lady Yuna's protective gesture, but it was her call and her world they were entering when they strode into Bevelle, for though she was no longer a maestress of Yevon, she was still very powerful and revered. As he took his eyes from the soldiers, Crusaders to their right and warrior monks to their left, Auron could see a singular, tiny figure at the far end of the bridge. It could not be doubted that it was Maestress Shelinda, waiting to take them into custody and put them to trial. Gatta had been explicit enough when he explained the process. Auron tensed slightly at the thought of another trial before the High Court of Yevon. The prospect was not at all appealing.
Then he felt a hand against the small of his back. He glanced to his side to find Tida walking with him step for step with a fierce look upon her face, outraged, perhaps, on behalf of the noble guardians and the high summoner who were entering the sacred city not as honored guests, but as hardly better than criminals.
"What will happen, Auron?" she questioned in a low voice.
"Nothing." he said confidently. He hesitated a glance at Tidus before putting his arm around her shoulders. "This is ... not important, not dangerous. It is only tiresome and ... a little petty." Auron assured her.
"Then why do you keep reaching for your sword?"
"Old habits die hard."
Shelinda did not seem pleased to see them, though she was perhaps relieved to find out that Yuna had returned safely from Guadosalam, which was no small matter to any Yevonite. Tidus read something in her gaze as they stood before her on the Highbridge that was something akin to surprise and an unpleasant sense of duty. The maestress seemed a bit strained too. The task was not an easy one for her. It had not been easy to arrest her husband for his disobedience, and taking such revered figures as these into custody was almost as difficult.
"Sir Gatta said that you would return. I am pleased that you have not betrayed his trust, for it is not given easily nor lightly. Nevertheless, it is my duty to take into custody in the name of Yevon those who have been named under suspicion of being dead and unsent. Shall I read the formal charges?" Shelinda questioned, pulling a scroll from the sleeve of her robe.
"No, that will not be necessary." Lady Yuna answered for them as Auron made a dismissive gesture.
"It is not our wish that any of you be held in the dungeons, though perhaps in this matter we are of little wisdom or foresight ..."
"We will not try to escape." interrupted Auron, understanding quite well what the maestress was driving at.
"Good. Then you will follow me to your quarters. The Maesters of Yevon wish for your trial to be quick, and as painless as possible. It will begin this very evening if that is the wish of the others." she explained, leading them not in the direction of the Citadel, but toward another building wherein important guests were often housed. While hardly a dungeon or a prison, it was quite secure and well guarded both inside and out.
As they followed her, Tidus leaned toward Lulu and asked, "Will there be a Guado among the maesters deciding our fates? 'Cause if so, I don't think it's very fair."
"No, the Guado are no longer so represented. There are only three maesters now: Maestress Shelinda, who replaced after a fashion Maester Kinoc, Maester Argus Ronso, who is still very young - I believe you knew his father Argai -, and Maester Istan, who represents the people of Bevelle and Zanarkand." Lulu informed him, a veritable font of knowledge as always.
"Then the Al-Bhed?"
"Are still not part of Yevon." Lulu concluded for him. "Although ... Istan, who succeeded Yuna, sees that they are left alone and in peace, and for them, that seems to be enough."
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A/N: Thanks for the reviews, Bunny, Trixie27, Grey, Shido21, and double-thanks to sulou!
And I got a great question from Shido21 (who is not at all dense): "What did you mean by Auron being able to talk to the Fayth while he was unsent?" Hmmm ... What I was trying to convey, and I re-wrote that part like 5 times, was that while Auron was beginning to fade after the battle with Nav, the Fayth managed to slip him a message for Tida since he was already part pyreflies/ heading toward the Farplane. (My first idea was that maybe the Fayth could materialize in Guadosalam, and I decided against it for reasons that may become more apparent later.) I may go back and try re-writing that bit again. Anyhow, I also figured that Auron wouldn't have needed a sending (think Tidus's mother in the game) if he had died in the story ... But that is definitely a gray area, I think.
The last mile
After all accounts were settled and a few changes were made in the room sharing situation, the night at the Agency was mostly uneventful, which Aurie and Pacce, bruised though he was, found quite unfortunate. No one said anything much about the previous evening's events as they left the next morning, prepared to return to Bevelle. Auron did not explain how he knew or even why there was trouble waiting for them, thinking it best merely to return and face the consequences of his, not to mention Gatta's, actions. Although, to be fair, he did hope that the leaders of Yevon were not too hard on Sir Gatta for helping them to escape Bevelle with the information they needed to find and protect Yuna.
That morning as they tramped through the Thunder Plains, Tidus walked at Auron's side. Something was weighing heavily on the blitzer's mind. That was plain to see. Auron knew that he had had words with Yuna, but he wasn't certain if he wanted to know what kind. It was Tidus who spoke first, though upon another matter that was also close to both of their hearts.
"You've spent a lot of time with Tida." stated Tidus, almost as though it were the beginning of an accusation.
"Yes."
"She looks up to you. I guess, maybe she sees what she always wanted in a father in you."
"I am hardly a father figure to her." disputed Auron, thinking to himself, "At least, that is not what I see in her eyes."
"Well ... maybe not, but when she looks at me, do you think she just sees someone about her own age?"
"I don't think Tida makes that mistake."
"Really?"
"Yes." he answered.
Tidus did not speak further on the subject, but it was all too obvious that it was still upon his mind even after they entered Macalania and drew near to Bevelle.
The road entering Bevelle was lined with soldiers, one upon either side from the very beginning of the Highbridge to its end at the Citadel. With a gesture from Lady Yuna, who led the company upon the last leg of the march, Wakka, Rikku, Lulu, and Pacce, who was sporting a terrific black eye, moved to surround the four who had come from the Farplane and the children. As they did this Tidus glanced back to see the soldiers leaving their positions and following them.
"We won't be going back out that way unless they let us." he thought gloomily.
Auron, whose hand kept straying absently toward the hilt of his blade, did not particularly like Lady Yuna's protective gesture, but it was her call and her world they were entering when they strode into Bevelle, for though she was no longer a maestress of Yevon, she was still very powerful and revered. As he took his eyes from the soldiers, Crusaders to their right and warrior monks to their left, Auron could see a singular, tiny figure at the far end of the bridge. It could not be doubted that it was Maestress Shelinda, waiting to take them into custody and put them to trial. Gatta had been explicit enough when he explained the process. Auron tensed slightly at the thought of another trial before the High Court of Yevon. The prospect was not at all appealing.
Then he felt a hand against the small of his back. He glanced to his side to find Tida walking with him step for step with a fierce look upon her face, outraged, perhaps, on behalf of the noble guardians and the high summoner who were entering the sacred city not as honored guests, but as hardly better than criminals.
"What will happen, Auron?" she questioned in a low voice.
"Nothing." he said confidently. He hesitated a glance at Tidus before putting his arm around her shoulders. "This is ... not important, not dangerous. It is only tiresome and ... a little petty." Auron assured her.
"Then why do you keep reaching for your sword?"
"Old habits die hard."
Shelinda did not seem pleased to see them, though she was perhaps relieved to find out that Yuna had returned safely from Guadosalam, which was no small matter to any Yevonite. Tidus read something in her gaze as they stood before her on the Highbridge that was something akin to surprise and an unpleasant sense of duty. The maestress seemed a bit strained too. The task was not an easy one for her. It had not been easy to arrest her husband for his disobedience, and taking such revered figures as these into custody was almost as difficult.
"Sir Gatta said that you would return. I am pleased that you have not betrayed his trust, for it is not given easily nor lightly. Nevertheless, it is my duty to take into custody in the name of Yevon those who have been named under suspicion of being dead and unsent. Shall I read the formal charges?" Shelinda questioned, pulling a scroll from the sleeve of her robe.
"No, that will not be necessary." Lady Yuna answered for them as Auron made a dismissive gesture.
"It is not our wish that any of you be held in the dungeons, though perhaps in this matter we are of little wisdom or foresight ..."
"We will not try to escape." interrupted Auron, understanding quite well what the maestress was driving at.
"Good. Then you will follow me to your quarters. The Maesters of Yevon wish for your trial to be quick, and as painless as possible. It will begin this very evening if that is the wish of the others." she explained, leading them not in the direction of the Citadel, but toward another building wherein important guests were often housed. While hardly a dungeon or a prison, it was quite secure and well guarded both inside and out.
As they followed her, Tidus leaned toward Lulu and asked, "Will there be a Guado among the maesters deciding our fates? 'Cause if so, I don't think it's very fair."
"No, the Guado are no longer so represented. There are only three maesters now: Maestress Shelinda, who replaced after a fashion Maester Kinoc, Maester Argus Ronso, who is still very young - I believe you knew his father Argai -, and Maester Istan, who represents the people of Bevelle and Zanarkand." Lulu informed him, a veritable font of knowledge as always.
"Then the Al-Bhed?"
"Are still not part of Yevon." Lulu concluded for him. "Although ... Istan, who succeeded Yuna, sees that they are left alone and in peace, and for them, that seems to be enough."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A/N: Thanks for the reviews, Bunny, Trixie27, Grey, Shido21, and double-thanks to sulou!
And I got a great question from Shido21 (who is not at all dense): "What did you mean by Auron being able to talk to the Fayth while he was unsent?" Hmmm ... What I was trying to convey, and I re-wrote that part like 5 times, was that while Auron was beginning to fade after the battle with Nav, the Fayth managed to slip him a message for Tida since he was already part pyreflies/ heading toward the Farplane. (My first idea was that maybe the Fayth could materialize in Guadosalam, and I decided against it for reasons that may become more apparent later.) I may go back and try re-writing that bit again. Anyhow, I also figured that Auron wouldn't have needed a sending (think Tidus's mother in the game) if he had died in the story ... But that is definitely a gray area, I think.
