Disclaimer: They are not mine (I wish they were). Don't sue.
Warnings: Yaoi rated R.
Summary: CHAPTER 15 UP. End is near. (yaoi: SxS beware). Balamb Garden is a knights' school. Seifer Almasy is one of those knights. Being the personal guard of Sullen, the most good-looking and greatest wizard, he is sent to find out why Galbadian army has attacked Dollet. Does Sorceress Edea have something to do with it? And why does Elder Guardian of Time refuse to show in the Union council?
Sons of Elder Guardians
By Azure Knight
Chapter 15: Grand Finale
The two weeks had finally been over. Sullen had manage to hide Squall in Allendia's palace without the knowing of the Queen Elder or better Ultimecia. He had also managed to get everything prepared for tomorrow's events.
With his birthday, as a present, Seifer would be decapitated and after that Tellian would give the signal to all the troops march to the battlefield: Centra. But if his plan worked, that signal wouldn't be given nor Seifer would die.
He had accomplished to get inside the Laguna Loire, Elder Queen of Time and her apprentice Ellone also without the knowing of his mother. Raine was indeed a beautiful woman and because of her powers she continued looking young showing how look alike she was with her son. She was a kind woman and treated Sullen with the utmost respect, consideration and love. She said she longed to see him as well as her son who she had been separated when he was still very little.
"In the time I was very young. Getting an apprentice girl had been my goal, not fall in love or have a child of my own. I decided that his father would take good care of him and he would be happier in a palace with children of his age and many color and love. My castle is dark and he would feel lonely because nor me or Ellone would have had time to play or spend with him." She affirmed sadly.
"Not even once I forgot about Squall or let him forget about me. I never hide him the truth of what he was. Surprisingly, he understood and never held me rancor for what I did. I love him even more for the boy he has become. I never had time to come here and see you too, but I always heard you were a fine Sorcerer and man. I can see that now with my own eyes. Know that I'll support your candidature to leader of the Union once this is over." She completed.
ºººººººººº
It was near midnight and Sullen was thinking all this in his bed. Being the leader had been his dream since childhood, and still, even so, he kind of felt he needed to get mentally ready for that, if nothing else, because his first leadership proof would be the day after 's confront. One thing that had been worrying him was that Squall hadn't arrived yet. Allendia had said Squall needed sometime alone to get ready. He could understand that, but he just hoped he would be there on schedule and wouldn't get caught.
A knock on his bedroom door awaked him from his reverie.
"Come on in." the door opened slightly and Olian peeked through it a little nervous. Sullen immediately expected the worst.
"What happened Olian? Something wrong with tomorrow's events?" Olian smiled and shacked his head in a negative signal. Sullen let go of the breath he had been holding. He proceeded to the room cautiously; even his light brown wings flickered in nervousness. Sullen sitting in his bed looked at him with an interrogative face as if saying 'What's the matter then?' He looked absolutely marvelous with his shining blond hair cascading along his back and pooling in the black sheets of his bed and his black eyes reflecting the full moon rays. Olian sighed and sat in a chair, his wings folded.
"It's just that..."he said after a relatively long silence "...tomorrow we don't know what's going to happen, and it will be certainly the end to many of us, well...what I wanted to say is this: don't think that just because Seifer didn't love you than nobody does, I mean, will. You know, here are many people out there who only dream about a closeness with you like the one Seifer had, and---"
Sullen smirked and said, interrupting him "Only out there? What about in here?" he asked looking at Olian who was caught off guard and coughed embarrassed. Sullen smiled sweetly and rose from the bed. "I know what you want to tell me and though I'm not able to say it back to you, yet, I would love you'd help me to forget about Seifer and learn how to love you the way you deserve and the way you love me."
Olian smiled though his cheeks presented a light shade of red. "I will." he said firmly nodding. At the same time he rose from the chair, standing very close to Sullen. Stroking his cheek, he whispered, looking straight at the blonde's eyes.
"You are so beautiful. I love you so much!"
Sullen smiled sadly and whispered back "I'm sorry. I know now what you've suffered all this time. I have been selfish, only thinking about me. But I'll make it up to you, Olian, I promise." And with this he pulled the human bird's chin and pressed his lips against his, kissing him softly. A few moments later, Sullen was guiding them to his bed.
Behind them shining through the open window, the white moon blessed their union.
ºººººººººº
And tomorrow is today. The decisive day had finally arrived. Seifer was handcuffed with metal chains and guided to the palace's square, which had two entries. On the center of it, in a platform, the guillotine was already ready. A coffin was by the corner. Seifer thought the coffin was too small for him, then he remembered that he was to be put there without his head. Behind the platform a huge burning stake stood with firewood at its base. It could only be for a mage's death.
On the square various knights also stood, as well as common people and merchants who came to see the show. When he entered the square surrounded by guards the people laughed at him and threw him rotten food. They loved their beautiful sorcerer Sullen and whoever put his life in danger deserved tortuous death.
When Seifer reached the center of the square, he looked at the tribune in front of him. There stood all the sorcerers and sorceresses as well as the greatest knights (who admired Seifer and were extremely unhappy with all the situation) and Sullen's guards. Sullen himself sat there dressed in a red outfit with a huge ruby embedded in gold holding his cape. He wasn't hearing his pointy hat but a golden tiara also with inlaid rubies. He was beautiful and looked angry with Seifer but the knight knew better. In his right hand he had his wand and in the other the staff. As accord, when he gave the sigh, Seifer would relieve himself from his bonds and bring tumult within the square as well as run to safety.
Seifer climbed the platform and the executioner covered his head. Tellian rose in the tribune and spoke. "Today is a very special day. Besides being my son's birthday is also the day our armies have been expecting, for today shall we march to defeat the evil in our lands, the evil that is my sister, Elder Queen of Time."
All the people clapped, some of them with conviction, the biggest part pretending it. After the applauses subsided the Elder continued.
"As a birthday gift, my son asked me the head of his traitorous knight, one of the wolves between us, lambs: Seifer Almasy of Balamb." the crowd booed and Tellian continued "He's being accused of high treason by endangering my dear son's life in order to allow my also traitorous nephew's escape, son of my sister Raine and the king of Esthar, Laguna Loire." All the people present, except the knights who had been present during Squall's escape, looked around to the others taken aback. So the boy did exist and had human royal blood as well. Indifferent to the surprised people, Tellian continued her speech.
"My son," she spoke now directly to Sullen but with artificial sweetness and love. "Your gift is on the square." She said pointing to Seifer. Sullen just smiled at her. However her act hadn't finished yet. "But I have another present for you, my son. One you aren't expecting." She smiled and Sullen arched an eyebrow interested but also apprehensive, though he didn't show it. He had a bad feeling about this.
"Bring him and get the torches!" Seifer the looked at the second entrance and he panicked.
Lying unconscious in a wooden platform carried by knights with torches and dressed in a simple white tunic with his silky hair as disheveled as ever, Squall entered in the square and was carried to the burning stake. All people were silent and shocked. She was going to burn an Elder. Rage burst from Seifer's inside and he looked at Sullen angry. Then he noticed that Sullen looked bewildered as well. He hadn't been expecting it and didn't know what to do. Tellian interpreted her son's shock as blissful shock.
Laguna and Raine as well as Ellone who were disguised in the middle of the crowd also didn't know what to do. They wanted to save their son but didn't want to endanger the plan that would resolve this conflict. They looked at Sullen asking but he didn't have an answer. While they hesitated Squall was being tied to the stake. When they had finished, Tellian smirked and then replacing her lovely features by evil ones, ordered loudly.
"Scorch him!" Then to everyone's surprise and sorrow for Squall looked more like an angel than a devil, many averted their eyes when the fire started to grow.
Seifer never one to think too much on the consequences, released himself while some looked shocked at the beautiful unconscious Elder in the middle of the fire and others had their eyes closed. With an supernatural strength and bare handed he knocked out several knights and reached half distance from the stake before being seized again, as well as Elder Time and Laguna who acted as soon as the fire was started. Their appearance brought a happy surprise to Tellian (Ultimecia) who didn't know how they had entered but didn't find that very important, now that her knights had captured them.
Meanwhile, awakened perhaps by the smoke or the sudden heat of the fire, which was still far from his feet, fortunately, Squall looked at Sullen in panic. Then turning his head to Seifer and his parents he smiled sadly as if apologizing. Tears started to flood from his eyes (from his sadness or the smoke nobody could tell), but obviously they were transformed in vapor by the fire as soon as they stood close enough to it.
At the same time, Seifer was carried to the guillotine, not without resistance and many cries of rage, succeeding in free himself for a little while only to be grabbed by many more hands and forced onto the engine where his head would be chopped out.
Sullen, Allendia and the other Sorcerers loyal to them were about to act when from the high places of the tribune and from the up balcony facing the square, arrows started to fly. Soon after the sound of swords clashing was heard.
Seifer's eyes widened when he also heard the horns. It couldn't be. But then there she was. Quistis and the Balamb knights were fighting Tellian's guards and knights from the up balcony. Down, on the left side of the square, his father's knights covered with long capes with his brother commanding them had exposed themselves and were fighting trying to release Laguna and Raine as well as their attendants. The same were doing the Trabian knights and the Shumis. His father tried to run to him to release him, but unsuccessfully because he was still too far from the center of the square and had many guards between him and his son.
Soon they started to hear someone trying to break the palace's doors with a battering -ram and someone screamed.
"The Esthar army!!!"
This had been part of the plan. Esthar's army had been hiding in the Galbadian mountains near Deling (Allendia's lands and courtesy) and had finally arrived the palace's gates.
Tellian's soldiers being demoralized and surprised by Seifer's allies hadn't been prepared and even if they were a bigger number, that wasn't giving them benefit in the battle being it equilibrated. The balance pended to the rebels side when Esthar army finally managed to enter through the palace's gates, commanded by Squall's guards and going to help the Balamb knights and the Almasy's friends.
Soon Seifer was being freed from the harmful thing by his allies with his head safety positioned between his shoulders, thanks to Irvine who had carved an arrow in the heart or head of every person who tried to trigger the guillotine's blade to kill the blond.
He quickly ran to Squall who had been trying to free himself since he couldn't extinguish the fire with magic because he had been cast a silence spell. When his mother finally got free herself, she cast a waterga that put out the fire, followed by a dispel. Then Seifer was able to untie the elder, holding him in his arms.
"Are you okay?" he asked looking at Squall's eyes. His porcelain face was a little pitch black but he was still as beautiful as always.
Squall nodded "yes, thank you." He said and hugged Seifer once more finding comfort in his strong arms. Seifer smiled giving a small kiss to Squall's hair. A few seconds later, the brunette's mother arrived at the place. Squall disentangled from Seifer and held onto his mother.
"My son!" she cried happily. "Mother..." Seifer smiled. And then he was also pulled into his brother and father's arms. Raijin and Fuujin weren't far behind.
"You didn't think we would just watch you be killed and do nothing, did you?" Zell said. Seifer laughed and ruffled Zell's hair. "Thank Irvine for me." He said. "I will..." Zell answered and then looked meaningfully into Squall's direction that was being checked out for injuries by Flora while Sephiroth scolded him on his lack of care.
"You really like him, don't you?" he whispered in Seifer's ear. His father laughed at the question. The answer was pretty obvious.
"What's with all the Trabians and Shumis, dad?" his oldest son asked so he could change the subject.
"A few friends I made in my trips." His father answered smiling, and then he whispered, "He is lovely, you know? Have you proposed yet?" And this time Seifer really blushed. "Father!" His two siblings chuckled.
Quistis appeared there then with some other knights from Balamb Garden.
"I'm glad you're safe, Seifer." She said.
"Thanks Quisty!"
"Don't mention it. You'll be always one of us, no matter what you do. This is our way of apologize for what we did to you in the past."
"Why thank you, Quisty." Seifer said, his usual smirk in his face.
"That doesn't mean we started to like you. It's just that since she arrested your father, we were having second thoughts about trusting Elder Tellian. Your father has always been a good and fair man." Xu, who had been behind her, said. Mr. Almasy smirked (very similar to his older son) and said.
"Why Xu, I didn't know you feel that way for me. I am searching for a wife, you know? Would you like to candidate to the place?" Xu glared at him and humphed, leaving the place murmuring something like 'as son as father!'. The others laughed.
Laguna chose exactly that time to approach them. Quistis and the Balamb knights bowed and took the opportunity to leave and take care of the injured ones.
Laguna nodded at them and then grinned at Seifer. "Thank you, my boy. Once again you've showed your value." He said smiling. He was about to say something else but Squall appeared in that instant.
"Ellone, Mom and I are going to go after Tellian. End this once and for all. Besides Sullen might want or need our help. See you later father. Thank you for your help Sir Almasy" Seifer's father smiled at the boy, nodding, "Sir Zell." Zell smiled as well. "Seifer...I own you my life. Thank you."
He bowed. "We shall go now." He turned to leave but Seifer grabbed his arm. "Are you sure you are in proper conditions?" Squall turned to him and nodded. Seifer sighed.
"You'll need a guide to go through the palace. I'll go with you." Squall nodded. Zell and the older Almasy looked at each other smirking.
ººººººººº
[Meanwhile in Tellian's quarters.]
"How could have this happened? How did they enter? How dare they being against me and disobey me?!" Tellian asked with a high-pitched voice.
Sullen and some other sorcerers had been there with her more to her protection than anything else.
"Many mages died protecting you, today." He said to her.
"Think I care about them?! They are only here to protect me." This shocked all the mages in the room excluding the ones that shared Sullen's thoughts.
"Of course mother. What I meant is that we aren't going to be able to stop them for ever." Sullen said calmly. His plan couldn't have worked better. Yes, he had been frightened when things went wrong out there, but then everything had become right. Thank Hyne Seifer had good friends. Now he would continue with his plan. Get the space key out of Ultimecia's hands.
"You're right, my son. We should get out of here!" Sullen nodded. "You're right mother." He agreed. The other mages nodded. They didn't want to die.
"But how?" Tellian asked. "All the exits are in the power of the traitors as well as the dragons." Sullen made a false innocent look.
"Why, mother use the space key." He said. And Allendia agreed.
"Of course, milady. Use it, please!" He said entering Sullen's game. They both knew she could only use the key with the help of the keystone. And of course she couldn't do it in front of all the other mages. It would be too suspicious and they might start wondering. She couldn't afford to lose any more followers. To use its power without endanger herself she had to give it to the only one who could do it without the keystone. Sullen.
She was hesitating, probably thinking of this. On one hand she didn't want to give the key to another. On the other, she had to get out of there and had not any other option. Finally the circumstances and the pressure of the situation made her decision, when Esthar knights started trying to open the door.
"I'm too tired and shacked with all this to use it. It requires a lot of energy and concentration to transport all of us. My son, would you please?" She said giving the Space key to Sullen who after receiving it, gave the signal to his loyal mages who grabbed Tellian and pointed their wands to her followers. The other mages were too surprised to act anyway.
"This woman who stands here isn't my mother. She's a sorceress from the future, trying to take control of our world: time and space. She's a parasite who apprehended my mother's body taking advantage of her weakness at the time. The proof is that Elder Guardians never but never let others use their keys unless they are totally incapable of doing it, not because they feel tired." The younger elder in the room said.
All the other mages stayed shocked, a few still unbelieving Sullen's words. Either way, none of them did anything. Most of them because they trusted Sullen more than anyone else. He was the one to take care of things when they went wrong and he was the one who cared for them. They had no reason to distrust him and were his words against his mother's. Sullen was also the one who knew Tellian more than anyone else so he would be the one to notice a difference in her as such.
But then a Flare spell from the corner was aimed at Sullen. It was Olian's fast response who saved him by casting a reflect shield to defend the blonde.
The flare headed against the reflect shield and returned to who had cast it, Ultimecia's counselor. The poor man was fast consumed by the flames of the lava and fell flat on the floor with a nauseating smell of burned flesh.
Ultimecia in Tellian's body looked at her dead counselor and then scornfully to Sullen.
"So, you were the inside traitor. I suspected at the beginning but after you condemn your own lover to death, I really discharged that idea. I'll have to give you that. It was a magnificent feat that of your knight's arresting and your cousin's escape." She said.
Seifer looked at Olian and Olian at him. They both started laughing. "Yes, indeed it was. But I have to say, it was all Seifer and Squall's merit." Sullen said.
Abruptly Ultimecia laughed. "You think you've won, don't you?" And then she laughed again "you don't get rid of me that easily." Tellian suddenly fell to the floor and a cold wind blew at the same time Ellone, Squall, Seifer and Raine entered into the room. Quickly Raine said a few strange words, the wind vanished and Sullen shivered.
"Thank you Aunt Raine." He said.
"What was that?" Seifer asked. "She was trying to possess Lord Sullen. Elder of Time cast a repel spell on Ultimecia's spirit so she had to leave us and return to the future, until the spell effects pass." Ellone explained. Sullen and Raine knelt near Tellian who was awakening, her son taking her in his arms. She looked at him and then at her sister not with the cold eyes she had when possessed but with warm ones.
"My son, my sister. I'm so glad you are okay. I tried to resist but then I figured it would be better to just dissolve into her spirit in order to protect my power and knowledge from her, so that she couldn't use them. I had faith in you two. I'm glad I wasn't wrong."
"You did well, my sister. If she had had access to your powers we wouldn't be here by now. You were very courageous and did very well." Raine said with tears in her eyes. "I'm glad you're okay and back to us. Now, you must rest."
"Aunt Raine's right, mother. You should rest. Let everything up to us." Sullen said. Then he left the room with his aunt and cousin as well as Seifer, Olian and Ellone, joining Squall's guards on the corridor, leaving the real Elder Tellian in the good hands of Aerith and Allendia.
"We have to pursue Ultimecia or she'll be back." The blond elder said.
"You are right. She must've returned to her castle in the future." Ellone said.
"Very well. We shall go meet her there and defeat her definitively. Can you take us there, aunt Raine?"
"Yes, I think I can transport a few people. Maybe three, four at maximum." She said.
"Okay. Seifer, Olian you come with me." The two nodded. "Squall you too. We'll probably need your time power to establish a link with your mother, so we can return. Go ready yourselves we leave in ten minutes. Is that okay to you aunt Raine." She and Squall nodded. And then they all went to prepare themselves.
ºººººººººº
Ten minutes later they were ready to leave. With the best weapons and their spirit refreshed and ready.
"Now, don't forget. To return follow Squall's spirit. Don't matter how far you are from him; just try to use your instincts to find his spirit." Olian nodded not really certain what that meant. Seifer smirked and asked Squall.
"You have a spirit?" Squall glared at him. "So funny!" he said.
"Just trying to lighten the mood." Sullen arched his eyebrows at the exchange.
"Let's go!" he said. Raine then used the time key following the time waves provoked by Ultimecia's spirit.
"Good luck..."She whispered when they vanished.
ºººººººººº
//Sullen//
We got to the castle with difficulty for we had to fight many things that Ultimecia put in our way to stop us. We left Squall out of the fights because his knowledge in magic was too weak to give any advantage and he had no weapon to defend himself (he was continually saying he should have brought Lionheart whatever that was). Of course this saddened him a bit, but there was no other option. He was very frail; he needed to be protected even although his curing abilities were very useful when we were a little more hurt. Allendia had taught him well, he just needed practice.
The fact is that when we arrived at Ultimecia's throne room in the castle, we were pretty much tired. However, we couldn't go back then. And so we prepared ourselves for the last battle and entered to face the future sorceress.
She cursed us and attacked.
The first Ultimecia we fought was relatively easy to defeat. Too easy. A meltdown and a few high-class spells easily made by Olian or me with Seifer's mighty gunblade attacks helping (him showing why he was considered the best knight of the new generation) were enough.
When we had her almost defeated, Ultimecia decided to summon Griever and then things got really ugly. We managed to survive thanks to Seifer's limit breaks and my own summons but at a high cost. In his last attack before defeat, Griever stroke Seifer hard throwing him to one side, leaving him unconscious, and Hyperion to the other side. Immediately Squall took his place.
By the time Ultimecia fused with Griever, Squall was the only one still fresh, with Seifer knocked out for good and Olian and me close to it with few energy left to keep standing.
It's amazing how we kept up so long considering our state, but it was, surprisingly to me, mainly because of Squall. My cousin, being a beginner with magic, cast the most strange and unlikely spells for the situation. It was clear that Ultimecia wasn't expecting such spells and hadn't been prepared for them or their intensity, due to my cousin's amazing power. That gave us time to regain some energy.
With time, however, even my cousin started to grow tired, as well as we did again, and even if Ultimecia was a little bit weaker, she was far from defeated. I started to lose hope in victory. It was fantastic how strong the sorceress and her summon were to be able to, together, win over two sons of Elder Guardians accompanied by their guards, I thought.
And then I can say that bringing Squall with us was what made us win this battle. My cousin has an incredible will, which no power can surpass.
Surprising us again, with an imaginable strength and resolution he resuscitated from his almost dead state and appeared one more time to steel the victory from Ultimecia's clenched fingers. Running, he went to grab Seifer's gunblade, making a, what he called, 'Renzokuken', and I stayed stupefied with the spectacle of movements and amount of damage that thing made. He was as frightening with a gunblade in his hands as Seifer, if not more, showing that maybe the blond had a little bit of competition on that 'best of his generation' title.
That made the hope reborn in me and I cast him a curaga, while next Olian cast him an aura.
A few Renzokukens later, Ultimecia had fallen and was defeated at our feet. All that thanks to Squall. We would never have done it without him.
Olian bowed to Squall and so did I. He was the strongest of us, maybe he wasn't as good in magic as I was yet, but with proper training, he would definitely be the best Sorcerer of all and damn me if I won't make of him that. I took a mental note to never let him neglect his knight training. I will never laugh again at a mage who has such an ability as to know how to grab and use a gunblade or another knights' weapon.
Squall looked at me with a tired face and I hugged him while Olian carried the still unconscious Seifer.
"Take us home." I said. He smiled and closed his eyes. Moments later I felt the electricity that had guided in the way here, now pull us back. Suddenly all was darkness.
ºººººººººº
End of chapter 15
To Redrum and Squall Morpheus Leonhart. Thank you for your reviews. Just more the Epilogue (which is huge) and it's over. See ya next week.
Warnings: Yaoi rated R.
Summary: CHAPTER 15 UP. End is near. (yaoi: SxS beware). Balamb Garden is a knights' school. Seifer Almasy is one of those knights. Being the personal guard of Sullen, the most good-looking and greatest wizard, he is sent to find out why Galbadian army has attacked Dollet. Does Sorceress Edea have something to do with it? And why does Elder Guardian of Time refuse to show in the Union council?
Sons of Elder Guardians
By Azure Knight
Chapter 15: Grand Finale
The two weeks had finally been over. Sullen had manage to hide Squall in Allendia's palace without the knowing of the Queen Elder or better Ultimecia. He had also managed to get everything prepared for tomorrow's events.
With his birthday, as a present, Seifer would be decapitated and after that Tellian would give the signal to all the troops march to the battlefield: Centra. But if his plan worked, that signal wouldn't be given nor Seifer would die.
He had accomplished to get inside the Laguna Loire, Elder Queen of Time and her apprentice Ellone also without the knowing of his mother. Raine was indeed a beautiful woman and because of her powers she continued looking young showing how look alike she was with her son. She was a kind woman and treated Sullen with the utmost respect, consideration and love. She said she longed to see him as well as her son who she had been separated when he was still very little.
"In the time I was very young. Getting an apprentice girl had been my goal, not fall in love or have a child of my own. I decided that his father would take good care of him and he would be happier in a palace with children of his age and many color and love. My castle is dark and he would feel lonely because nor me or Ellone would have had time to play or spend with him." She affirmed sadly.
"Not even once I forgot about Squall or let him forget about me. I never hide him the truth of what he was. Surprisingly, he understood and never held me rancor for what I did. I love him even more for the boy he has become. I never had time to come here and see you too, but I always heard you were a fine Sorcerer and man. I can see that now with my own eyes. Know that I'll support your candidature to leader of the Union once this is over." She completed.
ºººººººººº
It was near midnight and Sullen was thinking all this in his bed. Being the leader had been his dream since childhood, and still, even so, he kind of felt he needed to get mentally ready for that, if nothing else, because his first leadership proof would be the day after 's confront. One thing that had been worrying him was that Squall hadn't arrived yet. Allendia had said Squall needed sometime alone to get ready. He could understand that, but he just hoped he would be there on schedule and wouldn't get caught.
A knock on his bedroom door awaked him from his reverie.
"Come on in." the door opened slightly and Olian peeked through it a little nervous. Sullen immediately expected the worst.
"What happened Olian? Something wrong with tomorrow's events?" Olian smiled and shacked his head in a negative signal. Sullen let go of the breath he had been holding. He proceeded to the room cautiously; even his light brown wings flickered in nervousness. Sullen sitting in his bed looked at him with an interrogative face as if saying 'What's the matter then?' He looked absolutely marvelous with his shining blond hair cascading along his back and pooling in the black sheets of his bed and his black eyes reflecting the full moon rays. Olian sighed and sat in a chair, his wings folded.
"It's just that..."he said after a relatively long silence "...tomorrow we don't know what's going to happen, and it will be certainly the end to many of us, well...what I wanted to say is this: don't think that just because Seifer didn't love you than nobody does, I mean, will. You know, here are many people out there who only dream about a closeness with you like the one Seifer had, and---"
Sullen smirked and said, interrupting him "Only out there? What about in here?" he asked looking at Olian who was caught off guard and coughed embarrassed. Sullen smiled sweetly and rose from the bed. "I know what you want to tell me and though I'm not able to say it back to you, yet, I would love you'd help me to forget about Seifer and learn how to love you the way you deserve and the way you love me."
Olian smiled though his cheeks presented a light shade of red. "I will." he said firmly nodding. At the same time he rose from the chair, standing very close to Sullen. Stroking his cheek, he whispered, looking straight at the blonde's eyes.
"You are so beautiful. I love you so much!"
Sullen smiled sadly and whispered back "I'm sorry. I know now what you've suffered all this time. I have been selfish, only thinking about me. But I'll make it up to you, Olian, I promise." And with this he pulled the human bird's chin and pressed his lips against his, kissing him softly. A few moments later, Sullen was guiding them to his bed.
Behind them shining through the open window, the white moon blessed their union.
ºººººººººº
And tomorrow is today. The decisive day had finally arrived. Seifer was handcuffed with metal chains and guided to the palace's square, which had two entries. On the center of it, in a platform, the guillotine was already ready. A coffin was by the corner. Seifer thought the coffin was too small for him, then he remembered that he was to be put there without his head. Behind the platform a huge burning stake stood with firewood at its base. It could only be for a mage's death.
On the square various knights also stood, as well as common people and merchants who came to see the show. When he entered the square surrounded by guards the people laughed at him and threw him rotten food. They loved their beautiful sorcerer Sullen and whoever put his life in danger deserved tortuous death.
When Seifer reached the center of the square, he looked at the tribune in front of him. There stood all the sorcerers and sorceresses as well as the greatest knights (who admired Seifer and were extremely unhappy with all the situation) and Sullen's guards. Sullen himself sat there dressed in a red outfit with a huge ruby embedded in gold holding his cape. He wasn't hearing his pointy hat but a golden tiara also with inlaid rubies. He was beautiful and looked angry with Seifer but the knight knew better. In his right hand he had his wand and in the other the staff. As accord, when he gave the sigh, Seifer would relieve himself from his bonds and bring tumult within the square as well as run to safety.
Seifer climbed the platform and the executioner covered his head. Tellian rose in the tribune and spoke. "Today is a very special day. Besides being my son's birthday is also the day our armies have been expecting, for today shall we march to defeat the evil in our lands, the evil that is my sister, Elder Queen of Time."
All the people clapped, some of them with conviction, the biggest part pretending it. After the applauses subsided the Elder continued.
"As a birthday gift, my son asked me the head of his traitorous knight, one of the wolves between us, lambs: Seifer Almasy of Balamb." the crowd booed and Tellian continued "He's being accused of high treason by endangering my dear son's life in order to allow my also traitorous nephew's escape, son of my sister Raine and the king of Esthar, Laguna Loire." All the people present, except the knights who had been present during Squall's escape, looked around to the others taken aback. So the boy did exist and had human royal blood as well. Indifferent to the surprised people, Tellian continued her speech.
"My son," she spoke now directly to Sullen but with artificial sweetness and love. "Your gift is on the square." She said pointing to Seifer. Sullen just smiled at her. However her act hadn't finished yet. "But I have another present for you, my son. One you aren't expecting." She smiled and Sullen arched an eyebrow interested but also apprehensive, though he didn't show it. He had a bad feeling about this.
"Bring him and get the torches!" Seifer the looked at the second entrance and he panicked.
Lying unconscious in a wooden platform carried by knights with torches and dressed in a simple white tunic with his silky hair as disheveled as ever, Squall entered in the square and was carried to the burning stake. All people were silent and shocked. She was going to burn an Elder. Rage burst from Seifer's inside and he looked at Sullen angry. Then he noticed that Sullen looked bewildered as well. He hadn't been expecting it and didn't know what to do. Tellian interpreted her son's shock as blissful shock.
Laguna and Raine as well as Ellone who were disguised in the middle of the crowd also didn't know what to do. They wanted to save their son but didn't want to endanger the plan that would resolve this conflict. They looked at Sullen asking but he didn't have an answer. While they hesitated Squall was being tied to the stake. When they had finished, Tellian smirked and then replacing her lovely features by evil ones, ordered loudly.
"Scorch him!" Then to everyone's surprise and sorrow for Squall looked more like an angel than a devil, many averted their eyes when the fire started to grow.
Seifer never one to think too much on the consequences, released himself while some looked shocked at the beautiful unconscious Elder in the middle of the fire and others had their eyes closed. With an supernatural strength and bare handed he knocked out several knights and reached half distance from the stake before being seized again, as well as Elder Time and Laguna who acted as soon as the fire was started. Their appearance brought a happy surprise to Tellian (Ultimecia) who didn't know how they had entered but didn't find that very important, now that her knights had captured them.
Meanwhile, awakened perhaps by the smoke or the sudden heat of the fire, which was still far from his feet, fortunately, Squall looked at Sullen in panic. Then turning his head to Seifer and his parents he smiled sadly as if apologizing. Tears started to flood from his eyes (from his sadness or the smoke nobody could tell), but obviously they were transformed in vapor by the fire as soon as they stood close enough to it.
At the same time, Seifer was carried to the guillotine, not without resistance and many cries of rage, succeeding in free himself for a little while only to be grabbed by many more hands and forced onto the engine where his head would be chopped out.
Sullen, Allendia and the other Sorcerers loyal to them were about to act when from the high places of the tribune and from the up balcony facing the square, arrows started to fly. Soon after the sound of swords clashing was heard.
Seifer's eyes widened when he also heard the horns. It couldn't be. But then there she was. Quistis and the Balamb knights were fighting Tellian's guards and knights from the up balcony. Down, on the left side of the square, his father's knights covered with long capes with his brother commanding them had exposed themselves and were fighting trying to release Laguna and Raine as well as their attendants. The same were doing the Trabian knights and the Shumis. His father tried to run to him to release him, but unsuccessfully because he was still too far from the center of the square and had many guards between him and his son.
Soon they started to hear someone trying to break the palace's doors with a battering -ram and someone screamed.
"The Esthar army!!!"
This had been part of the plan. Esthar's army had been hiding in the Galbadian mountains near Deling (Allendia's lands and courtesy) and had finally arrived the palace's gates.
Tellian's soldiers being demoralized and surprised by Seifer's allies hadn't been prepared and even if they were a bigger number, that wasn't giving them benefit in the battle being it equilibrated. The balance pended to the rebels side when Esthar army finally managed to enter through the palace's gates, commanded by Squall's guards and going to help the Balamb knights and the Almasy's friends.
Soon Seifer was being freed from the harmful thing by his allies with his head safety positioned between his shoulders, thanks to Irvine who had carved an arrow in the heart or head of every person who tried to trigger the guillotine's blade to kill the blond.
He quickly ran to Squall who had been trying to free himself since he couldn't extinguish the fire with magic because he had been cast a silence spell. When his mother finally got free herself, she cast a waterga that put out the fire, followed by a dispel. Then Seifer was able to untie the elder, holding him in his arms.
"Are you okay?" he asked looking at Squall's eyes. His porcelain face was a little pitch black but he was still as beautiful as always.
Squall nodded "yes, thank you." He said and hugged Seifer once more finding comfort in his strong arms. Seifer smiled giving a small kiss to Squall's hair. A few seconds later, the brunette's mother arrived at the place. Squall disentangled from Seifer and held onto his mother.
"My son!" she cried happily. "Mother..." Seifer smiled. And then he was also pulled into his brother and father's arms. Raijin and Fuujin weren't far behind.
"You didn't think we would just watch you be killed and do nothing, did you?" Zell said. Seifer laughed and ruffled Zell's hair. "Thank Irvine for me." He said. "I will..." Zell answered and then looked meaningfully into Squall's direction that was being checked out for injuries by Flora while Sephiroth scolded him on his lack of care.
"You really like him, don't you?" he whispered in Seifer's ear. His father laughed at the question. The answer was pretty obvious.
"What's with all the Trabians and Shumis, dad?" his oldest son asked so he could change the subject.
"A few friends I made in my trips." His father answered smiling, and then he whispered, "He is lovely, you know? Have you proposed yet?" And this time Seifer really blushed. "Father!" His two siblings chuckled.
Quistis appeared there then with some other knights from Balamb Garden.
"I'm glad you're safe, Seifer." She said.
"Thanks Quisty!"
"Don't mention it. You'll be always one of us, no matter what you do. This is our way of apologize for what we did to you in the past."
"Why thank you, Quisty." Seifer said, his usual smirk in his face.
"That doesn't mean we started to like you. It's just that since she arrested your father, we were having second thoughts about trusting Elder Tellian. Your father has always been a good and fair man." Xu, who had been behind her, said. Mr. Almasy smirked (very similar to his older son) and said.
"Why Xu, I didn't know you feel that way for me. I am searching for a wife, you know? Would you like to candidate to the place?" Xu glared at him and humphed, leaving the place murmuring something like 'as son as father!'. The others laughed.
Laguna chose exactly that time to approach them. Quistis and the Balamb knights bowed and took the opportunity to leave and take care of the injured ones.
Laguna nodded at them and then grinned at Seifer. "Thank you, my boy. Once again you've showed your value." He said smiling. He was about to say something else but Squall appeared in that instant.
"Ellone, Mom and I are going to go after Tellian. End this once and for all. Besides Sullen might want or need our help. See you later father. Thank you for your help Sir Almasy" Seifer's father smiled at the boy, nodding, "Sir Zell." Zell smiled as well. "Seifer...I own you my life. Thank you."
He bowed. "We shall go now." He turned to leave but Seifer grabbed his arm. "Are you sure you are in proper conditions?" Squall turned to him and nodded. Seifer sighed.
"You'll need a guide to go through the palace. I'll go with you." Squall nodded. Zell and the older Almasy looked at each other smirking.
ººººººººº
[Meanwhile in Tellian's quarters.]
"How could have this happened? How did they enter? How dare they being against me and disobey me?!" Tellian asked with a high-pitched voice.
Sullen and some other sorcerers had been there with her more to her protection than anything else.
"Many mages died protecting you, today." He said to her.
"Think I care about them?! They are only here to protect me." This shocked all the mages in the room excluding the ones that shared Sullen's thoughts.
"Of course mother. What I meant is that we aren't going to be able to stop them for ever." Sullen said calmly. His plan couldn't have worked better. Yes, he had been frightened when things went wrong out there, but then everything had become right. Thank Hyne Seifer had good friends. Now he would continue with his plan. Get the space key out of Ultimecia's hands.
"You're right, my son. We should get out of here!" Sullen nodded. "You're right mother." He agreed. The other mages nodded. They didn't want to die.
"But how?" Tellian asked. "All the exits are in the power of the traitors as well as the dragons." Sullen made a false innocent look.
"Why, mother use the space key." He said. And Allendia agreed.
"Of course, milady. Use it, please!" He said entering Sullen's game. They both knew she could only use the key with the help of the keystone. And of course she couldn't do it in front of all the other mages. It would be too suspicious and they might start wondering. She couldn't afford to lose any more followers. To use its power without endanger herself she had to give it to the only one who could do it without the keystone. Sullen.
She was hesitating, probably thinking of this. On one hand she didn't want to give the key to another. On the other, she had to get out of there and had not any other option. Finally the circumstances and the pressure of the situation made her decision, when Esthar knights started trying to open the door.
"I'm too tired and shacked with all this to use it. It requires a lot of energy and concentration to transport all of us. My son, would you please?" She said giving the Space key to Sullen who after receiving it, gave the signal to his loyal mages who grabbed Tellian and pointed their wands to her followers. The other mages were too surprised to act anyway.
"This woman who stands here isn't my mother. She's a sorceress from the future, trying to take control of our world: time and space. She's a parasite who apprehended my mother's body taking advantage of her weakness at the time. The proof is that Elder Guardians never but never let others use their keys unless they are totally incapable of doing it, not because they feel tired." The younger elder in the room said.
All the other mages stayed shocked, a few still unbelieving Sullen's words. Either way, none of them did anything. Most of them because they trusted Sullen more than anyone else. He was the one to take care of things when they went wrong and he was the one who cared for them. They had no reason to distrust him and were his words against his mother's. Sullen was also the one who knew Tellian more than anyone else so he would be the one to notice a difference in her as such.
But then a Flare spell from the corner was aimed at Sullen. It was Olian's fast response who saved him by casting a reflect shield to defend the blonde.
The flare headed against the reflect shield and returned to who had cast it, Ultimecia's counselor. The poor man was fast consumed by the flames of the lava and fell flat on the floor with a nauseating smell of burned flesh.
Ultimecia in Tellian's body looked at her dead counselor and then scornfully to Sullen.
"So, you were the inside traitor. I suspected at the beginning but after you condemn your own lover to death, I really discharged that idea. I'll have to give you that. It was a magnificent feat that of your knight's arresting and your cousin's escape." She said.
Seifer looked at Olian and Olian at him. They both started laughing. "Yes, indeed it was. But I have to say, it was all Seifer and Squall's merit." Sullen said.
Abruptly Ultimecia laughed. "You think you've won, don't you?" And then she laughed again "you don't get rid of me that easily." Tellian suddenly fell to the floor and a cold wind blew at the same time Ellone, Squall, Seifer and Raine entered into the room. Quickly Raine said a few strange words, the wind vanished and Sullen shivered.
"Thank you Aunt Raine." He said.
"What was that?" Seifer asked. "She was trying to possess Lord Sullen. Elder of Time cast a repel spell on Ultimecia's spirit so she had to leave us and return to the future, until the spell effects pass." Ellone explained. Sullen and Raine knelt near Tellian who was awakening, her son taking her in his arms. She looked at him and then at her sister not with the cold eyes she had when possessed but with warm ones.
"My son, my sister. I'm so glad you are okay. I tried to resist but then I figured it would be better to just dissolve into her spirit in order to protect my power and knowledge from her, so that she couldn't use them. I had faith in you two. I'm glad I wasn't wrong."
"You did well, my sister. If she had had access to your powers we wouldn't be here by now. You were very courageous and did very well." Raine said with tears in her eyes. "I'm glad you're okay and back to us. Now, you must rest."
"Aunt Raine's right, mother. You should rest. Let everything up to us." Sullen said. Then he left the room with his aunt and cousin as well as Seifer, Olian and Ellone, joining Squall's guards on the corridor, leaving the real Elder Tellian in the good hands of Aerith and Allendia.
"We have to pursue Ultimecia or she'll be back." The blond elder said.
"You are right. She must've returned to her castle in the future." Ellone said.
"Very well. We shall go meet her there and defeat her definitively. Can you take us there, aunt Raine?"
"Yes, I think I can transport a few people. Maybe three, four at maximum." She said.
"Okay. Seifer, Olian you come with me." The two nodded. "Squall you too. We'll probably need your time power to establish a link with your mother, so we can return. Go ready yourselves we leave in ten minutes. Is that okay to you aunt Raine." She and Squall nodded. And then they all went to prepare themselves.
ºººººººººº
Ten minutes later they were ready to leave. With the best weapons and their spirit refreshed and ready.
"Now, don't forget. To return follow Squall's spirit. Don't matter how far you are from him; just try to use your instincts to find his spirit." Olian nodded not really certain what that meant. Seifer smirked and asked Squall.
"You have a spirit?" Squall glared at him. "So funny!" he said.
"Just trying to lighten the mood." Sullen arched his eyebrows at the exchange.
"Let's go!" he said. Raine then used the time key following the time waves provoked by Ultimecia's spirit.
"Good luck..."She whispered when they vanished.
ºººººººººº
//Sullen//
We got to the castle with difficulty for we had to fight many things that Ultimecia put in our way to stop us. We left Squall out of the fights because his knowledge in magic was too weak to give any advantage and he had no weapon to defend himself (he was continually saying he should have brought Lionheart whatever that was). Of course this saddened him a bit, but there was no other option. He was very frail; he needed to be protected even although his curing abilities were very useful when we were a little more hurt. Allendia had taught him well, he just needed practice.
The fact is that when we arrived at Ultimecia's throne room in the castle, we were pretty much tired. However, we couldn't go back then. And so we prepared ourselves for the last battle and entered to face the future sorceress.
She cursed us and attacked.
The first Ultimecia we fought was relatively easy to defeat. Too easy. A meltdown and a few high-class spells easily made by Olian or me with Seifer's mighty gunblade attacks helping (him showing why he was considered the best knight of the new generation) were enough.
When we had her almost defeated, Ultimecia decided to summon Griever and then things got really ugly. We managed to survive thanks to Seifer's limit breaks and my own summons but at a high cost. In his last attack before defeat, Griever stroke Seifer hard throwing him to one side, leaving him unconscious, and Hyperion to the other side. Immediately Squall took his place.
By the time Ultimecia fused with Griever, Squall was the only one still fresh, with Seifer knocked out for good and Olian and me close to it with few energy left to keep standing.
It's amazing how we kept up so long considering our state, but it was, surprisingly to me, mainly because of Squall. My cousin, being a beginner with magic, cast the most strange and unlikely spells for the situation. It was clear that Ultimecia wasn't expecting such spells and hadn't been prepared for them or their intensity, due to my cousin's amazing power. That gave us time to regain some energy.
With time, however, even my cousin started to grow tired, as well as we did again, and even if Ultimecia was a little bit weaker, she was far from defeated. I started to lose hope in victory. It was fantastic how strong the sorceress and her summon were to be able to, together, win over two sons of Elder Guardians accompanied by their guards, I thought.
And then I can say that bringing Squall with us was what made us win this battle. My cousin has an incredible will, which no power can surpass.
Surprising us again, with an imaginable strength and resolution he resuscitated from his almost dead state and appeared one more time to steel the victory from Ultimecia's clenched fingers. Running, he went to grab Seifer's gunblade, making a, what he called, 'Renzokuken', and I stayed stupefied with the spectacle of movements and amount of damage that thing made. He was as frightening with a gunblade in his hands as Seifer, if not more, showing that maybe the blond had a little bit of competition on that 'best of his generation' title.
That made the hope reborn in me and I cast him a curaga, while next Olian cast him an aura.
A few Renzokukens later, Ultimecia had fallen and was defeated at our feet. All that thanks to Squall. We would never have done it without him.
Olian bowed to Squall and so did I. He was the strongest of us, maybe he wasn't as good in magic as I was yet, but with proper training, he would definitely be the best Sorcerer of all and damn me if I won't make of him that. I took a mental note to never let him neglect his knight training. I will never laugh again at a mage who has such an ability as to know how to grab and use a gunblade or another knights' weapon.
Squall looked at me with a tired face and I hugged him while Olian carried the still unconscious Seifer.
"Take us home." I said. He smiled and closed his eyes. Moments later I felt the electricity that had guided in the way here, now pull us back. Suddenly all was darkness.
ºººººººººº
End of chapter 15
To Redrum and Squall Morpheus Leonhart. Thank you for your reviews. Just more the Epilogue (which is huge) and it's over. See ya next week.