finally! i'm back, and i have a decent amount for you! with - gulp - quite a cliffhanger... ::grins:: you guys rule, i love everyone giving me feedback. thanks for motivating this story to be what it has become! 7th




Chapter 15: Messages and Mistakes





The first thing I realized was this: I was lying on something soft.

I only realized it because I was expecting something different. I couldn't quite figure out why soft things were such a shocking surprise; I couldn't figure out what I had been expecting. I didn't quite remember how I had gotten to the soft things, either. Experimentally, I twitched a foot.

Ooooh... That hurt.

I moved again, a little more carefully. I wondered if I had the guts to open my eyes. There was a slight rustling beside me, and I heard the delicate clink of glass on glass. I figured this was as good a cue as any, and prepared myself for the shock.

My eyes landed on Rosa's concerned face, and I realized I was in Baron.

Baron?

The clink had been her filling a glass from a pitcher of water; she now held it before my face. I attempted to sit up, and that's when I found the real source of pain - my arms were bandaged from palm to elbow.

"Mmmph," I said unintelligibly. Rosa set the glass down hurriedly and came to help me sit up.

"You're a real handful, Rydia dear," she said with a slight smile as she lifted me up.

I looked down at my bandaged arms. What had I been ...? They looked as if they'd been burnt ...in fact, all of my clothes looked as if they'd been in ...a ...fire ...

"Oh," I gasped, remembering what I had been doing suddenly. Meteo?

Rosa must have noticed me looking at my arms and gasping, for she said gently, "It's nothing that a couple Cure spells won't heal. Kain told us all about what happened."

"Kain?"

Then I noticed the dark shadow detaching itself from the corner of the wall. It was Kain, dressed now in black trousers and a moss-colored tunic, his blond hair pulled back from his face. "How are you feeling?" he asked, and I noted that some of the pain in his voice was gone.

I swallowed, audibly. "Erm, I'm alright, I believe," I said gently.

As Kain left the room, Rosa whispered, "He's been worried about you ever since you got in. He felt so guilty - he thinks that it was his fault - whatever happened in there - because of something that he told you? He brought you back to Mysidia, and they sent you here via the Serpent's Road."

Kain ...brought me back? I suddenly saw the strange dragoon in a new light. Maybe, just maybe, he had finally accepted my forgiveness?

"Oh," I said, seeing that Rosa was looking for an answer. "Um. I'll have to thank him."

"He won't take that kindly, but I'll tell him," she replied with a smile, brushing some dust from a small table beside me and rearranging the many vials that rested there. "Do you think you're ready for a bit of soup?"

"Ugh, Rosa," I said with a fake grimace as she made to spoon it in my mouth. "I'm not a kid."

She shook her head at me and handed me the bowl.

Soon afterward Cecil came in the room; Rosa, wanting to save a bit of her magic, was soaking my arms in a bath of potions she had mixed up. They were healing nicely (it was a little disconcerting to watch, but I'd been around magic forever - it's easy to just ignore it). Cecil was wearing the crown of Baron on his head and a long majestic cape; but as he shut the door behind him, he removed the crown and very nearly threw it on the chair beside the door.

"Rydia," he said, running to my side and crouching next to Rosa. He took a quick look at me; something strange passed over his face. Slowly he stood and put his hands on his hips, glaring - at Rosa.

"You said she was burnt all over," he said, scolding. "I've been worried sick!"

"I'm a White Wizard," Rosa murmured, "I won't bother you."

Cecil laughed; the phrase was an old joke between them. Calmed, he pulled a bench up beside the bed and sat, taking his wife's hand in his own.

"Rydia, I want to thank you for bringing Kain back," Cecil said, and I burst out laughing. He looked at me quizzically. "What?"

"If I heard the story right," I said, giggling, "Kain was the one who brought back my unconscious body - not the other way around." The laughter overtook me as I was presented with a mental picture of me, dragging the dragoon's body behind me by the feet, all the way down Mount Ordeals. When I could finally breathe again, Cecil and Rosa were looking at me, bemused and amused; instead of trying to share the joke I concentrated on breathing evenly.

"Really," I said. "I'm sure I didn't do much to help him -" and I was off again in a fit of giggles.

"Rydia," Cecil said gently, "Kain says it was you who convinced him to come back."

I stopped laughing abruptly. "What?"

Rosa arranged her silver skirts around her long legs. "Kain retreated to Mount Ordeals for training and prayer. Much like the Monks of Fabul, he has been living a rigorous lifestyle, fasting and meditating, undergoing strict physical development and spiritual cleansing. And in Kain's case, he's been doing this under the enormous weight of guilt."

"So," I asked tentatively, "what does this have to do with me?"

Cecil clasped Rosa's hand again. "You came to Mount Ordeals by yourself, driven by the desire to do something for the good of the world. Your determination struck Kain - not only the fact that you were hellbent on doing something extremely dangerous -" I flushed "- but the fact that even with all this drive and power, you had no desire for revenge. You finally convinced him of your forgiveness. And he realized that if you, who had lost everything, had forgiven him ...that maybe the rest of us would as well."

"I don't understand," I said. "I forgave you and Kain long, long ago. As I'm sure you both forgave Kain as well."

"There's a difference between giving forgiveness and accepting it," Rosa said softly. "What happened was that finally, Kain felt that he could accept forgiveness and move on - stop doing penance for things long past and come back into the present."

There was a generous pause. I began playing with the ribbons on my sheets (what funny delicacies they had in Baron, I thought) and finally said, stretching, "I still don't think I did anything - anything except what I came to do."

"Kain told us about that as well," said Cecil.

"You must have been up all night," I replied. Then I looked closer and saw the rings around his eyes. "Oh, you were up all night!" I sat up straight in my bed, hands on my hips. "Get thee in bed, O King of Baron," I intoned dramatically, "lest you fall asleep on your throne."

"Too late," said Cecil, "I think I already did."

"For shame, Cecil," Rosa said bravely, to which Cecil replied, "Well, you weren't there to keep me awake!"

"Really," I offered, "go to bed. Go get something to eat. Take a break; I'll be fine. I'll find something to amuse myself ..." And a thought crossed my mind.

"Hey, do you know where Edge is," I asked, just as Cecil turned to me and asked, "Do you have any idea where Edge has gone?"

We stared at each other in a surprised silence.

I turned my head, looking at him out of the corner of my eye. "I assumed he was still here in Baron. I haven't been gone that long, have I?"

Cecil shook his head slowly. "He left a day or two ago - we had a big council meeting, and then he went to his room - and the next thing we knew, no one could find him."

I bit my lip. "Isn't he the Eblanian delegate? How can he just leave?"

"I don't know," Cecil shrugged.

"And why would you think I would know?" I narrowed my eyes playfully.

Rosa shrugged. "Well, we thought maybe you had invited him on a midnight rendezvous," she said with a sly grin. "That'd be enough to make him give up Eblan for good."

I hit her with a pillow.

"You really don't know where he is?" Cecil asked me again, and I rolled my eyes. "Alright, alright," he conceded. "Fine."

I spent the day relaxing, wandering around the castle. I was happier than I'd been in days, and I wasn't really sure why; I had succeeded in sealing away Meteo, yes, but the loss of that power hurt me more than I'd really like to admit. Edge had vanished, which also upset me more than I'd like to admit. And at the back of my mind was the horrible situation concerning the people of Mist, the people of Baron, and the Land of Summons ...

"Oh, dear," I said aloud, and headed for the throne room.

Cecil, abandoning the idea of a nap, had returned to the library off of the great hall. He was meeting with a couple of officials from Damcyan and Toroia, discussing reparations and resources. I knocked timidly, and when he turned to me I said almost as timidly, "Can I talk to you for a second?"

He looked at the advisors; they nodded their approval and he slipped out, shutting the door behind him with a soft click.

"I forgot to tell you," I said softly. "I went to the Land of Summons and - well - Cecil, the monsters are leaving."

The King blinked at me, confusion mirrored in his crystalline eyes.

I sighed, trying to figure out the best way to explain. "The monsters ...well, obviously, they think and act differently than humans. And some of them are convinced that the times are changing and that the best thing for them to do is to leave. They have their own homeland, see, and most of them feel that it's better for monster-kind to just seal itself away in the hopes that eventually, mankind will be able to accept them." I paused and took a breath. "So even though ...Asura and Leviathan ...pledged to serve you ...um ...they won't be here to make good on the offer."

Cecil nodded, understanding seeping through. "It doesn't sound like a lot - but it really will change the dynamic of the world," he said slowly. Then he looked at me, curious. "I'd like to know the reaction of the Village Mist."

"Oh!" I gasped. "I haven't told them yet! That was where I found out that the Land was moving away, and I just rushed off without - oh, Cecil, I have to go back and tell them."

He nodded. "How did that meeting go, by the way?"

"Eh," I said flatly. "Most of them are convinced that the people of Baron are still out to get them."

Cecil frowned and shook his head. "I have distinct reports from the town - they want to take on the Village Mist as a Baronian protectorate and help the summoners to prosper. They've realized that Callers make better friends than allies," he said with a wink at me.

I smiled, but was puzzled. "That's funny. They told me the exact opposite: that the currents in town are defiantly anti-Mist."

"Perhaps things aren't as bright as I thought," Cecil wondered. "But I know the idea came from the town..."

"Anyway." I turned to him. "I'll go talk to the people of Mist. We need to do something about the monsters. I don't think leaving is a good idea - it sounds too dangerous, too much like the Lunarians hiding out on the second moon. We really all need to just stick together. I mean, if they want to go - but - anyway. Sorry." I realized I had let my mouth run, and I smiled at Cecil, who was smiling at me.

"You'd make a good ruler, Rydia." I looked back at him, surprised; but he was serious.

"No way, I have too much of a temper. Besides, who wants all that responsibility?"

He glared at me, and I stuck my tongue out at him.

I took the same chocobo I had last time: a friendly creature who called itself Boco. (Most of the chocobos I had met called themselves Boco. They weren't the most creative of creatures.) This particular Boco remembered me and seemed highly honored that I had chosen him again; this time he continued to chat about the weather, but in a horribly reverent way that grated on my cheerful nerves. I dropped him off at the entrance of the cave; it looked like rain, so I sent him home and plunged into the cavern.

The Cave of the Mists was still full of its prickly, mystic magic, but this time I simply bowed my head in reverence and continued on. It seemed to recognize one of its own; it wrapped itself around me in greeting, almost hindering my steps. My mother had always told me that the mist of the cave was a sentient being; it was very intelligent and worth listening to. She had drawn most of the power for her soul-summon, the mighty Mist Dragon, from the wealth of hidden magic inside our cave. I stopped to try to decipher the message from the mist, but I didn't speak the language. It twined around my feet like a small puppy or a dragon-pup, wheedling for attention. I smiled foolishly and continued.

Finally I came to the Village Mist. This time it was broad daylight, and people were out and about - the few children playing in the yard, mothers watching as they did their laundry, men out working fields and gardens. We were such a small, peaceful community. I sighed, full of happiness. All of the caution and stress drained from my body. I was serene, tranquil.

I suddenly felt someone grab me around the legs; I looked down quickly, but it was only Remy, clasping me about the legs and giggling. I ruffled her deep blue-black hair and picked her up, tucking her on my hip. She plucked at the bangle on my hair. "How are you, sweetie?"

"Good." She smacked her lips. "Are you back for real this time?"

I smiled. "For a little while, Remy."

She looked at me, her blue eyes wide. "How's it feel to be growed up?" she asked. "I used t'be taller than you. An' now you're really big. Mumma said you went to the Land of Summons an' got real big. Did you really?"

I laughed. "Yes, I did, dear. Obviously. All the monsters down there are nice."

That reminded me of my errand. I squeezed Remy and then asked, "I have to go talk to some of the parents. Do you want to come, or stay here?"

She threw her arms around my neck as an answer.

Laughing, we headed down the path into the town. Mothers greeted me, fathers tipped their hats. Children waved and smiled. I asked if people could gather somewhere for my brief announcement; they all came to the town hall, smiling, compliant.

My news was not so well received.

I folded my hands before me; Remy, sitting next to where I stood, folded hers as well. "I have news that I don't think you'll like," I began. "I've been back to the Land of Summons, and I've figured out why the monsters are being so difficult. They ...they're leaving."

I was met with stony silence.

"Those in the Underworld feel that the connections between man and monster are better off sundered. The monsters are returning to their home-world, and Asura and Leviathan are following them."

"But ..." Kell gestured. "If they leave this world, they are leaving us - defenseless! Who will we summon then?"

I bit my lip. "It's not a case of defense, Kell. It's one of integration. We can't let them leave - we have to show them that -"

"There's no way we can let them go!" Koren roared. "They are our friends and servants! If they leave and Baron hears of it, we're done for!"

I raised my arms as if in defense. "Hold on! First of all, Baron doesn't want to hurt us - they want to help! And second of all, Baron already knows about -"

"What?" Heiber stood up, clenching his fists. "They already know?"

I took a step back. "It's an issue of trust," I began, but Koren interrupted me.

"Trust?" He strode to the front of the room, glaring at me. "Trust, yes. And I'm not sure about you, Lady. Why did Baron know before Mist?"

His eyes were burning oddly bright. I stepped back, holding my hands up. "Cecil knows," I said quietly. "All of Baron does not know. And you're wrong about Baron."

"Wrong?" he asked, and there was a dangerous twist in his voice.

"Koren, sit down." Maara was standing in the door, leaning wearily against her cane, her voice more powerful than ever. Koren shot her a glance, but Heiber was at her side, quickly.

"Maara, I told you to stay home," he said, taking her arm and forcing her out of the building.

"No," she said, defiant. "I have something to tell little Rydia."

Heiber looked at me apologetically. "She had another attack this morning," he said, and walked her away from the building. I could hear her yelling outside.

"Look," Dahrin said. "What are we going to do?"

I was standing, staring after where Maara had left - something was not right. I tucked the feeling in the back of my head and faced Dahrin. "I don't know," I said honestly. "We need to decide. If we decide the monsters should stay, then we'll all need to work together. If we decide to let the monsters go where they wish, it will change our way of life - most likely permanently. That's why I'm here to tell you."

I straightened myself to my full (if rather small) height. Doing my best to look proud and regal, I summoned forth all of the power and training I had in the Land of Summons. Extending my arms, I looked around the room, trying to meet everyone's eyes. "I'm not here to force one decision or another upon you," I said. Koren stood, but a gesture from me hushed him. "I realize that you have grown here, while I have grown elsewhere," I said; it pained me to finally admit it. I backed out on this town. "I'm not going to coerce you, I'm not going to threaten. You all know what I feel. Baron -" there was a general murmur of discomfort "- is worth our trust, and wants more than anything to make all the wrong things right. But if you, as a town, feel that you can't do that just yet, I'll understand."

Everyone was watching me now. I slowly stepped forward, bringing all my passion to a single point. "All I want is what's best for you," I whispered fiercely. "I'll do whatever I can to take this town back to the way it was - no, to take it forward into a new age."

"That's it," Koren hissed; but it was a motion of triumph. "Lady Rydia, lead us into a new age! One where Summoners and Magicians can decide what happens, not only those of the sword and spear! Lead us into an age of power - a power all our own! Make us a force of reckoning. We are behind you!"

I shook my head, appalled. "No, Koren," I said. "The only way to peace is through joint understanding. We have to work with the others..."

"No!" Heiber had returned and was standing in the door. "We're safer if we stay apart."

"Lady Rydia, you must make the monsters stay behind!" Kell insisted.

"I don't have that kind of power," I urged.

"Yes," Koren said, "you do, and you know it. The Land of Summons cannot recede from this land. It must stay - it must become a part of our land."

I blinked. "Who ...who is putting these ideas in your head?" I asked slowly.

Koren and Heiber exchanged glances. Heiber said finally, "It has been ...a while ...since you have been here, Lady. Excuse us if we seem out of line. It is only that to us, this seems to be the most sensible way."

"Enough." I stood up and gestured, slicing my arms through the air. "Everyone take the night and think on things. I need to think as well. Tomorrow we will decide what we want to do - what sort of message we'll send to Baron, what sort of message we want to give the Land of Summons. Let's go get some fresh air."

The meeting dispersed. I shook Remy off my arm; I wanted to be alone now, to think. My feet took me back to the site of my old house. I wandered through the garden, finally coming to rest before the pedestal upon my mother's grave. I sat there, my knees curled to my chin, arms wrapped around my legs, rocking gently. The sun was setting; the sky was lit up in rose and violet. Wisps of clouds were strewn across the sky, making sunlit shades of firelight. I felt the peaceful feeling creeping back into me through the earth.

I bent my neck to rest my head against my lifted knees. "Mother," I whispered, and then sighed. Mother. Please tell me I'm doing the right thing. Help me understand.

I closed my eyes; all around me was the peace and tranquility and lovely smells and light breezes of the garden. I always think that I'm always right. I have to realize that other people can be right as well - and that there is a different right for me than for everyone else. I have to stop trying to force my ways. I remembered the fight at the Baron Council, my fierce words against the Agart Duke and the others. Just please, guide me somehow. Not me - guide this poor town as well. Let everything work out ...

My thoughts died, and I was merely resting, sitting on the warm ground curled into a little ball. I felt all my tension ebb, and it was as if my mothers arms were wrapped around me - no, it was Rosa - no, Asura ... I have had so many people to care for me ... All three of them were there somehow, and then it was Edge, lifting me in his arms after the battle with Zeromus, holding me close, carefully picking his way out of the dungeon. I sighed and leaned forward as if I could rest my head on his strong shoulder. I knew there was nothing there.

My eyes opened gently. The sun had nearly set; the sky was cobalt, and the first stars were beginning to pop out behind the clouds. I whispered "Thank you" to my mother and, picking up my skirts, returned to the town.

I came to Maara's house and slipped inside the door. "Maara?" I called softly. There was no answer; perhaps she was already asleep. I saw a tidy couch and a soft, warm blanket, most likely placed for me; Maara knew me much too well. I rearranged the cushions and tucked myself in. There was a rustling from upstairs, but no one came down. Relaxed and sated, I soon fell asleep.

I was sound asleep when they came.

There were slight sounds of scuffling outside the door, and my sleeping self began to rouse. But not in enough time. The door slammed open, and before I was on my feet, I was surrounded by tall, strong men. They tried to grab my arms; I wrenched them free, and slapped one of the men across the face. I hurtled my body to the other end of the room, terrified; I pointed a finger at the nearest man, searing him with a bolt of lightning. But my arms were pinned behind my back, and I swore, loudly. I could still chant, though, and the three men in front of me were branded with fire. But still more poured in the door.

Where were they all coming from?

I kicked, hard, behind me, and was rewarded with a grunt; a man stumbled, and I tried to break free, but dove headfirst into a very large body. Heiber. Soon they had me pinned again.

Then I heard a dark, familiar laugh. Koren.

"You're not from around here, are you," I managed to snarl, before a grisly hand was clapped over my mouth to prevent me from summoning forth anything dire.

There was just more laughter. "You're quick tonight, Lady Rydia," a strange man said. "Too bad you weren't faster earlier."

From behind me I heard the jingling of metal, and felt them fasten handcuffs around my wrists. Then a dark head leaned forward to whisper in my ear:

"This is a gift. From our old master Kainazzo."

And he clicked something on the handcuffs, and suddenly I felt them locking away all the magic in my blood - as if they were draining my power, pulling all of the magical strength I possessed, collecting all my knowledge and abilities in a box and locking the lid. I felt my magic screaming, trying to escape the metal prison; I myself was screaming, feeling dark and empty and more afraid than I had ever been ...

The darkness was obscene.

All my life I have had that second sense of magic to depend on, to speak with. But the moment this metal touched my skin, my powers crumbled; it was as if I was losing my vision, or sense of touch, or hearing. I was straining with all my might, trying to loose my hands, trying even to break my own hands off, anything to rid myself of this horrid thing; I felt my own blood running from deep cuts, but the cuffs held fast. It was as if someone had put out a light and with it, extinguished my soul.

I was empty.



I looked at Koren then, trying to summon up a fierce glare, but he could see through it to the tears in my eyes, and through them to the fear. "Yes," he said with a hiss. "We're not from around here, Caller. We ourselves are from Baron."

"We ran after our master fell to Cecil," said another man in a deep low voice. They were standing around me in a semicircle; my back was pressed against the wall, my bleeding hands held stiffly. "We ran into the wilderness - and remembered the Village Mist."

"There were many of us," said a third man. "Some came to infiltrate the village and spread our control spell. Others hid in the woods and mountains, watching and waiting."

"Our master feared this place," Heiber said. "He tried to destroy it. But we - we decided to use it."

"We want revenge," Koren said, his dreadful face ghastly in the night. "We want revenge against Baron. And you are a tool we can use."

Again I heard the rustling sound overhead and asked quailingly, "Wh - Where's Maara?"

Heiber sneered. "She's upstairs, tied up like you," he said, and I must have winced visibly. "She knew too much," he growled.

I bared my teeth in desperation. "You'll never get what you want," I said, but that was a mistake.

"We'll talk about it tomorrow," Koren said, mimicking my own tone from earlier; and then his fist connected with my temple and I fell mercilessly forward into a painful darkness.