As they walked down to the docks on the Moonflow, that awkward silence just begging to be broken again, Seymour asked Meriol if she would mind him blindfolding her. This, although she certainly didn't know it, was his backup plan. He remembered his resolve of late, to tell her, there was no backing down now.
"What?" Squeaked Meriol, startled. This seemed so romantic but she pushed the thought from her mind. She had to stop building up false hopes. It wasn't possible. He didn't love her. Royalty, for crying out loud. He would marry someone with political importance one day, there wasn't a doubt about it. Marriage for the people, that was what Guado aristocracy was all about, and she had no place in such affairs. Nevertheless, how could she say no? Meriol contrived to come up with a witty acceptance. "O… okay, but don't let me walk into anything. Don't walk me into a tree, tempting though it may be."
Seymour laughed, a sound that was music to Meriol's ears, like silver bells in a gentle blowing wind. "Meriol, you are as precious to me as the sunrise. I would sooner join the Al Bhed than allow you to be hurt."
Seymour was working up the nerve to tell her how he felt, dropping hints now that would make it easier later, to tell her how much he loved her. Meriol, however, now blindfolded, was fuming. How dare he be so nice, so seemingly romantic, when she knew he didn't love her? Taunting her. Her was leading her on, it seemed, it was cruel.
Seymour felt a pang of regret as he put his arms on Meriol's shoulders to guide her. So many times he had been this close, so many times he had scared himself into keeping quiet. This was it, either the beginning of something more beautiful than he could imagine, or the end of their friendship, and he was going to tell her this time, even though he may regret it later if it meant losing her. He wanted to tell her, he would face rejection for it, he was sure, but how could he be so sure? It would be better than this, anyway. Anything was better this, anything was better than not knowing, being in constant doubt of his future, constant yearning, constant wonder.
Guided along the path, Meriol reminded herself of all the good times she had had with Seymour. Such a wonderful friend he was, she couldn't stay mad at him. He was probably doing this to somehow console her, she thought, to make her see that friendship could be enough.
The air warmed as they left the forest and came to the bank, a clear place where white sand met the oily dark Moonflow river. Moonlily petals washed up on the sure, making random patterns. Some of the older Guado women still read fortunes with the patterns of Moonlily petals, but the faith of Yevonism was quickly replacing the old superstitions. The dock fitted perfectly with it's surroundings, not despoiling the environment like other docks, docks Meriol's father had told her about. The Moonflow river was oily black anyway, so even if the docks polluted it, there would be no noticeable difference. Nothing in Spira damaged the environment, that was one of the benefits of the Yevon doctrines, in Meriol's opinion, benefits were few and far between. Even the docks around Luca there pretty clean, and that place was the closest thing Spira had to a metropolis.
A shoopuff party was just coming over when Seymour lifted Meriol's blindfold.
Meriol gasped at the sight, as she always did. The Moonflow, so beautiful, so mysterious, so terrible, connected to the waters that took the lives of her tribe, yet essential to the life of the forest and the Guado.
"Well, what do you think?" Asked Seymour, gesturing towards a group of shoopuff. "Do you like it?"
"I don't know what I'm supposed to be looking at."
"Its your very own shoopuff. It's the one on the near left, next to that big one." Said Seymour, before continuing. "Consider it a token of my… er… love."
So overwhelmed by the prospect of owning a shoopuff, Meriol barely heard his last statement. Seymour had both hoped for and feared this and as he watched the love of his life run to inspect her gift, he reflected.
She hadn't cringed, or turned away, but then again, she hadn't really listened, had she? Maybe - glomp! Seymour was distracted from his thinking by an enthusiastic Meriol, who leapt at Seymour and wrapped her arms around him. The force nearly made him stumble, as did what she said next.
"Oh, Seymour, thankyou so very much! I love you, I love you, I love you so much!" She said. "You are the most wonderful, beautiful person in the world!"
She loved him? She loved him! Seymour was amazed, happy beyond belief, speechless. He just stood there, a stunned look on his face, unmoving.
"Oh…" Meriol let go of him and stepped away. "I'm sorry. I know you don't feel the same way. I shouldn't have done that, shouldn't have said that. I'll just go attend to my shoopuff now."
Seymour awoke from his stupour immediately. "Meriol, wait! I do love you. It's just… yevon…" Seymour paused, searching for the right words. "Yevon knows I never knew you felt the same way. Never thought you could."
"Well… I do." Said Meriol, as Seymour stepped forward and put his arms around her. "I do, so very much it's painful. I have for so long… so long…"
The couple just stood there, in each others embrace, in love, as the sun set over the Moonflow and the pyreflies came out, lighting the Moonflow and the two of them in majestic, flickering colour.
It was beautiful, sure enough. Meriol reflected later. Beautiful but deadly, like so many other things in Spira, like Mt Gagazet, where the sharp winds cut into her, like the constant storms on the thunder plains, like the unfathomable depth of the lake under Macalania temple, Meriol and Seymour's lives would be forever tainted by their love. A single kiss can ruin a human life.
"What do we do now?" Asked Meriol, stepping up the ladder onto the shoopuff.
"I hadn't thought of that. Never actually accounted for this, though I think O prepared myself for every kind of rejection possible." Said Seymour, following her up and detaching the ladder. "I didn't think I was good enough for you."
"You are the son of Lord Jyscal. It is I, a mere handmaiden, who is not worthy for you." Said Meriol, looking distant. "That is what I fear."
"Meriol, you are a handmaiden by choice, my best friend, and the most eloquent, beautiful and intelligent woman I know. I can't live without you. I won't live without you." Said Seymour. "I don't care about your position in Guado society."
Looking at him in the eyes, free now from the fear she had harboured for so long, Meriol replied, "I know now that you… love me." Yevon, that knowledge alone made her heart soar. "But whilst my position in society does not bother you, doubtless it will bother other people. Lord Jyscal, Sir Tromell… the Guado people will not be happy."
"Meri, sweet Meri, a new age is dawning. If they can't see it, they are blind. I won't lose you to politics as well. If you aren't confident, then we can keep this secret, much as I want to yell it from the rafters. We can take this one day at a time."
"Well take it one day at a time?" Meriol echoed. "I like that."
Seymour smiled and jumped down to the drivers seat.
"But first." He said. "We have some fiends to hunt."
"What?" Squeaked Meriol, startled. This seemed so romantic but she pushed the thought from her mind. She had to stop building up false hopes. It wasn't possible. He didn't love her. Royalty, for crying out loud. He would marry someone with political importance one day, there wasn't a doubt about it. Marriage for the people, that was what Guado aristocracy was all about, and she had no place in such affairs. Nevertheless, how could she say no? Meriol contrived to come up with a witty acceptance. "O… okay, but don't let me walk into anything. Don't walk me into a tree, tempting though it may be."
Seymour laughed, a sound that was music to Meriol's ears, like silver bells in a gentle blowing wind. "Meriol, you are as precious to me as the sunrise. I would sooner join the Al Bhed than allow you to be hurt."
Seymour was working up the nerve to tell her how he felt, dropping hints now that would make it easier later, to tell her how much he loved her. Meriol, however, now blindfolded, was fuming. How dare he be so nice, so seemingly romantic, when she knew he didn't love her? Taunting her. Her was leading her on, it seemed, it was cruel.
Seymour felt a pang of regret as he put his arms on Meriol's shoulders to guide her. So many times he had been this close, so many times he had scared himself into keeping quiet. This was it, either the beginning of something more beautiful than he could imagine, or the end of their friendship, and he was going to tell her this time, even though he may regret it later if it meant losing her. He wanted to tell her, he would face rejection for it, he was sure, but how could he be so sure? It would be better than this, anyway. Anything was better this, anything was better than not knowing, being in constant doubt of his future, constant yearning, constant wonder.
Guided along the path, Meriol reminded herself of all the good times she had had with Seymour. Such a wonderful friend he was, she couldn't stay mad at him. He was probably doing this to somehow console her, she thought, to make her see that friendship could be enough.
The air warmed as they left the forest and came to the bank, a clear place where white sand met the oily dark Moonflow river. Moonlily petals washed up on the sure, making random patterns. Some of the older Guado women still read fortunes with the patterns of Moonlily petals, but the faith of Yevonism was quickly replacing the old superstitions. The dock fitted perfectly with it's surroundings, not despoiling the environment like other docks, docks Meriol's father had told her about. The Moonflow river was oily black anyway, so even if the docks polluted it, there would be no noticeable difference. Nothing in Spira damaged the environment, that was one of the benefits of the Yevon doctrines, in Meriol's opinion, benefits were few and far between. Even the docks around Luca there pretty clean, and that place was the closest thing Spira had to a metropolis.
A shoopuff party was just coming over when Seymour lifted Meriol's blindfold.
Meriol gasped at the sight, as she always did. The Moonflow, so beautiful, so mysterious, so terrible, connected to the waters that took the lives of her tribe, yet essential to the life of the forest and the Guado.
"Well, what do you think?" Asked Seymour, gesturing towards a group of shoopuff. "Do you like it?"
"I don't know what I'm supposed to be looking at."
"Its your very own shoopuff. It's the one on the near left, next to that big one." Said Seymour, before continuing. "Consider it a token of my… er… love."
So overwhelmed by the prospect of owning a shoopuff, Meriol barely heard his last statement. Seymour had both hoped for and feared this and as he watched the love of his life run to inspect her gift, he reflected.
She hadn't cringed, or turned away, but then again, she hadn't really listened, had she? Maybe - glomp! Seymour was distracted from his thinking by an enthusiastic Meriol, who leapt at Seymour and wrapped her arms around him. The force nearly made him stumble, as did what she said next.
"Oh, Seymour, thankyou so very much! I love you, I love you, I love you so much!" She said. "You are the most wonderful, beautiful person in the world!"
She loved him? She loved him! Seymour was amazed, happy beyond belief, speechless. He just stood there, a stunned look on his face, unmoving.
"Oh…" Meriol let go of him and stepped away. "I'm sorry. I know you don't feel the same way. I shouldn't have done that, shouldn't have said that. I'll just go attend to my shoopuff now."
Seymour awoke from his stupour immediately. "Meriol, wait! I do love you. It's just… yevon…" Seymour paused, searching for the right words. "Yevon knows I never knew you felt the same way. Never thought you could."
"Well… I do." Said Meriol, as Seymour stepped forward and put his arms around her. "I do, so very much it's painful. I have for so long… so long…"
The couple just stood there, in each others embrace, in love, as the sun set over the Moonflow and the pyreflies came out, lighting the Moonflow and the two of them in majestic, flickering colour.
It was beautiful, sure enough. Meriol reflected later. Beautiful but deadly, like so many other things in Spira, like Mt Gagazet, where the sharp winds cut into her, like the constant storms on the thunder plains, like the unfathomable depth of the lake under Macalania temple, Meriol and Seymour's lives would be forever tainted by their love. A single kiss can ruin a human life.
"What do we do now?" Asked Meriol, stepping up the ladder onto the shoopuff.
"I hadn't thought of that. Never actually accounted for this, though I think O prepared myself for every kind of rejection possible." Said Seymour, following her up and detaching the ladder. "I didn't think I was good enough for you."
"You are the son of Lord Jyscal. It is I, a mere handmaiden, who is not worthy for you." Said Meriol, looking distant. "That is what I fear."
"Meriol, you are a handmaiden by choice, my best friend, and the most eloquent, beautiful and intelligent woman I know. I can't live without you. I won't live without you." Said Seymour. "I don't care about your position in Guado society."
Looking at him in the eyes, free now from the fear she had harboured for so long, Meriol replied, "I know now that you… love me." Yevon, that knowledge alone made her heart soar. "But whilst my position in society does not bother you, doubtless it will bother other people. Lord Jyscal, Sir Tromell… the Guado people will not be happy."
"Meri, sweet Meri, a new age is dawning. If they can't see it, they are blind. I won't lose you to politics as well. If you aren't confident, then we can keep this secret, much as I want to yell it from the rafters. We can take this one day at a time."
"Well take it one day at a time?" Meriol echoed. "I like that."
Seymour smiled and jumped down to the drivers seat.
"But first." He said. "We have some fiends to hunt."