Disclaimer: They are not mine (I wish they were). Don't sue.
Warnings: Yaoi rated R.
Summary: Complete. (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?
This epilogue had an NC-17 version on my site. If you like and are allowed to read, go there. The url is in my profile page.
ISons of Elder Guardians/I
By Azure Knight
Epilogue
I awakened in a long desert with sand and sandy wind surrounding me from everywhere. I wondered where I was, I wondered if we had won. What happened to Sullen? To Olian? To my beloved Squall? I don't know why but it came to my mind the day of the picnic in Great Salt Lake. Squall with my hat in his head picking blueberries in the water. I smiled. Oh yes, if I was dead then I had died happy. If I would die in this land of doom, then I would die happy too, thinking of my Squall. Suddenly I felt an urge to look at the blue sky and I saw far, far away something that caught my attention. A bird maybe. No, not a bird. A dragon. It was a dragon being rode by someone. A mage. I ran in the direction the dragon had taken.
I ran and ran and ran for minutes, maybe hours. Sometimes I stumbled in the sand, swallowing some of it. And then with the exhaustion and the heat of the place I started to see things, mirages and despair came upon me. But I kept walking.
A few dunes and some yards of sand later I saw another mirage or maybe it wasn't. It was a huge structure made of stone, metal and iron bars. I reached for the gates and found out that indeed it wasn't a mirage. It was a tomb of some sort. In front of me I had a vast stone staircase and on top of it there it was. The dragon and the mage. From where I stood I could only see that he wore a black cape with silver hemmed in strange designs, a black matching pointy hat on top of his head and cascading from under it, reaching the mage's waist, long waves of shining unruly auburn hair. The sun cast on it reflects of gold. Because he was praying with his back to me I couldn't see his face
I started climbing the stairs and when I had finished the first flight of it, the mage stood and stirred.
"What are you doing here?" a soft voice said in my head. I startled a little before I noticed it had been the mage who was telepathically speaking to me. Perhaps because I didn't say (or think) a thing, he continued.
"You don't belong here. You are lost aren't you?" He kept his back to me.
"Yes, milord." I said out loud. "I effectively don't know where I am."
"The problem isn't where you are, but in what time you are!" my eyes widened. 'Great' I thought.
Then, from the other side of the tomb, a blond knight appeared. We looked at each other for a few seconds and then we both gaped at the same time. His moves, his posture, and the way he looked at me. His facial structure, the short blond hair, the tanned skin. It was like seeing me in a mirror. However, I noticed that he had a manlier figure and a more serious face. He was clearly older than me and resembled my father a lot, but he was I nonetheless. I was seeing me in the future.
My other self turned to the mage I had no clue who it was yet and spoke something. I had a little perception that the mage answered him but I couldn't hear given the distance. The older me looked at me again and then he turned to the mage one more time speaking to him. I was getting frustrated of their little chat, that I couldn't hear, obviously about me and started to climbing the other six or seven flights of stone stairs. Suddenly the older Seifer raised a hand and spoke.
"Halt! This is a sacred place, you can't climb here!" he said. I glared at him.
"You are there!" I said as a matter of fact and continued climbing. I (the older me) glared at me in return and replied furious.
"Halt, I said. I'm allowed to be here because I'm accompanied by a mage." The mage chuckled. I made as if I hadn't heard my other self's words and continued climbing. I was four flights away from them when old Seifer huffed and mumbled something about disobeying knights. The mage chuckled once more and told him something. He narrowed his eyes dangerously and glared at the mage. Only me to be able to do that to a mage without being already dead with a lightning spell. The mage, however, chuckled even more. And then he spoke in my head again.
"I'll help you going back to the time you belong." I stopped and bowed.
"Thank you, milord. What do I have to do? And what do you want in return for such a service?" Old Seifer looked dangerously with narrowed eyes, but now at me.
"Oh! Come on." I said. "I'm certainly younger than you." The older me looked startled at my comment.
"He has a point." I heard the mage say and exactly as he finished saying it, he had us both stiffen, but from different reasons. My older self looked incredulously to the mage.
"What do you mean by that?!" he said, shocked while I looked stunned to the mage as well. The voice was so look alike Sullen's it frightened but I definitely recalled that Sullen had blond hair, and I certainly remembered another person with that timber of voice that could match those awesome brown locks, a certain young with short auburn hair. It couldn't be. The change had been too great. The pose, the way he held himself. Nonetheless I risked.
"Squall?!" I said with my heart pounding in my ears.
My other self looked at me and the mage turned. He smiled and nodded. I let go of the breath I was holding without knowing. I ran to him, kind of clumsily, and cupped his face in my hands; under the jealous protective glare my older self was giving me.
Squall surpassed Sullen a thousand times in beauty. That porcelain face framed by his auburn hair, those shining gray-blue eyes with, that beautiful smile. And his scent, the scent I loved and worshiped. It was my Squall all right. An even more beautiful Squall, if that was possible.
Suddenly I was pulled back.
"You better go." My other self said grabbing at the same time Squall's waist, possessively. I smirked despite myself. I was such a selfish bastard; tough I might have my reasons.
Squall rolled his eyes and looked at the older me. "I can't believe you're jealous of yourself!" he said not in a bored tone, however, but on an amused one, I'd say. Made me think it wasn't the first time I had that reaction to someone else touching my Squall.
"I'm not jealous!" Older Seifer said. Eh, I was in denial too. "Besides you agreed that a younger--" he was interrupted by a finger in his lips.
"Oh! Shut up, Seifer. I was kidding..." he said smiling sweetly at my other self. Like I could ever resist that smile.
"You were?" Old Seifer replied, making a successful face of a lost puppy. Looked kind of strange on my face, specially an older one. Oh boy, love makes us do such sad figures.
Anyway, Squall looked like he was used to those, for he shook his head although he was smiling. I started to worry. I didn't do those in front of other people, did I?
Squall turned to me. "Please don't tell this adventure of yours to anyone. I'll now take you back." I nodded. He then took a deep breath and whispered a few words I couldn't understand and next a soft lavender light and I felt me floating. "Have a good trip and be patient with me." He told me telepathically, probably so that my other self didn't hear.
Tough I felt myself drifting to unconsciousness; I heard their voices in the tomb.
"Is he gone?!" my baritone voice.
"Hum, hum..." Squall's voice sounding farther away from mine. I was being pulled away from them.
"So...about you being kidding..." Wait a second. Was that my husky voice?!" An urgent scolding followed.
"Not here, Seifer! This is a sacred place!" I was distancing form them, for their voices sounded even more distant than before. Then I grasp the meaning of Squall's words and I grinned.
I heard myself replying, already very low. "Think I care?!" Of course not, eh!
"Seifer!!!" Squall's urgent squeak, my older's evil laughing and then darkness.
ºººººººººº
One week after the events a Council reunion was made and this time all were present. Tellian used it to explain to everyone what had happened, seeing how many still stood clueless. Seifer's family got their lands back; sir Almasy was given the government of Balamb, since Ultimecia had killed the royal family; and Quistis was given the administration of Balamb Garden, now that Cid had retired as well as Edea, taking Allendia her position in Galbadian's government.
Tellian also resigned and elections followed. Sullen was elected, as expected, ruler of the Union by unanimity. Olian and Aeris continued as his guards and counselors, Seifer retired to take care of the administration of his father's goods now that "the man was playing king of Balamb" as he said. The most unexpected was that Sullen chose for his successor and vice- ruler, his cousin Squall Loire, to the surprise of the boy himself. That way Seifer went to Balamb while Squall lived between Delling finishing his train as a sorcerer and Esthar with his family. Sephiroth and Flora continued by his side.
ºººººººººº
[A year later - Esthar]
Seifer had been fumbling with his outfit for his father's marriage. Actually not only his father's marriage for there were two marriages at the same time: the marriage between Elder Queen of Time and King Laguna of Esthar and Elder Queen of Space and King Guillon Almasy of Balamb. The two sisters had decided to marriage at the same day. So it was being given a huge ceremony with party afterwards in Esthar to commemorate.
Everybody would be there. Loire's house, almost all the mages, Almasy's house, Trepe's house, some Shumis and lots of knights and royal families like the Tilmits from Trabia.
Squall and Sullen would also be there. If somebody told him a year ago he would be Sullen's brother, he would have laugh out loud. Life takes strange paths indeed. Seifer had been in his father's lands taking care of them, because his brother Zell had married and had been in honeymoon in the Kinneas' lands. So he had been taking care of everything. He had been invited to join Balamb Garden as commander, many mages had invited him to be their knight, promised him fortunes, fame, lands,...he was the most wanted knight in the whole world. However, the one person he wanted to serve, he hadn't seen him in one year.
Finally, he was ready. It had taken time to dress himself but he was ready.
Almost everyone was already in the Esthar's temple when he arrived, including his father and brother. The temple was decorated in white, yellow and blue.
"Took you time to get here. We could almost mistake you for the bride, Seifer!" his young brother said.
"Very funny, chicken." was Seifer's reply.
"What did you call me?!" his brother said baling his fists before Seifer's smirk.
"Stop it, you two!" the blond groom said. "It's about time you two grow up. You're going have an important brother from now on. Behave!" Zell rolled his eyes. Seifer smirked.
"Okay, okay daddy, don't be nervous. I'm going over there to present my condolences to king Loire.
"Yeah. Why don't you take the chance and ask him Elder Squall's hand?"
"Zell!" King Almasy scolded though Seifer had been already too far to hear his younger brother's comment.
Seifer talked to Laguna, Lake, Sea and Rinoa until the ceremony was about to begin. When the doors started to open he hurried to his place and the wedding started with the march to the altar by both the Queen's.
Both Elder Queens were beautiful. Tellian was dressed in a white and yellow dress while Raine had a blue and white one. Taking them by their arms were their sons.
Sullen, fabulous as ever, was dressed in a gold and blue tunic that left his arms bare and had a large low neck that stood out his visible collarbone and long neck, which was holding a shining golden necklace, with various blue sapphires inlaid in it. On his head he had a similar crown and on all the length of his arms, bracelets with the same design. A simple golden engagement ring on his hand contrasted with the complexity of the other jewels. His long blond hair, curly as ever had been left loose and barely covered his also bare back that the tunic let show. On the edge of his long hair, on his waist, a golden belt held the tunic in place.
Squall had a very similar costume, only the designs of his jewels were a lot simpler and required a much less effort to make. Instead of a crown, Squall had solely a diadem in his forehead with a single sapphire. His arm- bracelets didn't go al his arm from shoulder to hand like Sullen's, appearing only at his wrists. His necklace was as simple as the rest of the jewels with only a sapphire meeting the center of his collarbone. His fingers were bare. The tunic wasn't so scandalous being a little more discreet in it's a little higher neck and making a U on his back and letting only see until the end of his shoulder blades. His belt was a little decayed standing out the graceful and sexy little sway of his hips as he walked. As the rest of his jewelry, the belt was made of white gold. His hair being longer, passing his shoulders by an inch, wasn't as curly as Sullen's, its messy waves being amazingly unruly. So as Sullen sensuality was almost forced, artificial; Squall's was natural, adding to that impression also the dark blue and white gold tunic and brown hair. A full of dark only letting see a little of pail skin between the two.
All stood looking at them as if mesmerized and Seifer watched intently the dark brown haired young. Suddenly he felt jealous that all the others were also admiring Squall's beauty and hotness. He grimaced. In that instant, Squall's eyes darted to him and the younger boy's cheeks tinted a little rose, when he noticed Seifer had been watching him not so happy as the brunette would expect. He lowered his eyes shyly and sadly. He wasn't feeling comfortable on those clothes and seeing Seifer's almost angry face made him wonder why did he had listen to Sullen after all.
The ceremony continued without incidents and eventually it ended. The wedding dinner followed. Seifer stayed moody during all of it while seeing men and women talking to and admiring Squall. He couldn't get alone with him, not even close to him. Squall kept smiling and welcoming every person. After five hours trying, the blond eventually gave up talking to him that night and went to chat with his friends. However, not even his friends took out the feeling he was being left aside, alone. He had convinced himself that Squall wanted him and wanted to go further into a more serious relationship, a permanent commitment, even, once the dust of the last year's events settled down and he had his life organized. Guess he was wrong. He had waited this long, he had had patience as he had been asked. He would wait no more.
During the conversations with his friends, Seifer had found that Olian and Sullen were engaged, he stayed happy for them. He only wished he could be that happy with his elder as well. Guess now, that his fame and beauty had gone into Squall's head and he had forgotten Seifer that would be very hard.
ºººººººººº
The party was being beautiful, it was lovely when the recently married cut the cake, danced together and switching pairs, it was stupid, cute and infuriating when the brides launched their bouquets. Stupid, because Sullen who was to get married in three months didn't get one. Cute because Tellian's went to Lake who had been sitting nearby, not being in the mass to catch and he looked at it on his lap, surprised. Everyone clapped and many saw Allendia's shy looks towards the boy. Rinoa almost screamed in rage, because her younger brother was going to marry before she did. Next was Raine's turn and it was definitely infuriating, because the bouquet went to Squall's hands, who wasn't in the mass either, being near Lake. He seemed surprised as well. Then a brunette knight reached him and Squall happily smiled at him while the knight bowed, looking at Squall with love, or so Seifer thought. If he hadn't been blind by jealousy he would see that the look shared was from pure friendship and nothing more than that.
ºººººººººº
I stayed so furious. So Squall was going to marry a knight who obviously wasn't me. I had to get out of there to relieve my rage and so I went to the corridor where I had seen Squall riding the first time I came to Esthar, taking a deep breath of the night pure air. I should've known Squall didn't look for me, had forgotten me, for some reason. The only thing preventing me from despairing was my inflamed rage coming from the sensation of betrayal. I looked at the night sky and to the illuminated garden that once again mocked my agony.
Suddenly, a few minutes later I felt someone behind me. I turned and saw Squall, eyes shining from the lights outside that also caught on his jewels making them glow. Not saying a thing I turned again and leaned over the stone rail. Squall did the same beside me. After an awkward silence he spoke.
"It's a beautiful night, isn't it?"
"Yes." Short, simple and expressionless. Another awkward silence followed. Squall wasn't used to do the talking. Abruptly he, perhaps sensing my rage or seeing the serious expression on my face, asked.
"What happened? Why are you so bitter today...to me?"
"You look like a slut doll." Was my answer and well, maybe that was a little too harsh. His eyes widened and he looked at me startled, taken aback.
"Well you could have said you don't like my clothes and jewels another way." He said after recovering from my explosion. But I still had a few bomb to launch.
"Oh, believe me," I said sarcastically laughing "your jewels and clothes are beautiful, it's you in them I don't like. They 're perfect for Sullen."
"Are you trying to tell me I don't look well in them, is that it?" he said almost angry with me.
"No, what I'm trying to tell you is that you aren't the Squall I met. The Squall I met would never dress like that to draw attentions to himself. He was discreet and hated the spotlight. The Squall I fell in love with was innocent, beautiful, sweet, humble. The Squall I'm seeing now is full of vanity. You're different. You've changed, for worse." I said. Squall looked desperate.
"It was Sullen's idea to dress me like this. I didn't want to, but he said, he asked if I didn't want to look good to impress handsome knights."
"Oh, don't worry, I'm sure the brunet knight you wanted to impress is very pleased. Thank Hyne I'm not that knight." I said bitterly, thinking exactly the contraire of what I was thanking, and then I looked at his clueless face.
"Who?!" he asked. He really didn't know what I was talking about, who I was talking about. I smiled sullenly.
"I was wrong. You're still clueless." I said, then turned and started to leave. He called me.
"Seifer, wait! You're the only knight I wanted to impress and that I want to please." He said his voice trembling. I stopped and turned. My heart went to life again. But then I remembered the awful night I was having trying to speak to him and all those people gawking at him. I was still very angry.
"Well, you surely didn't. I saw many other knights gaping at you and I'm not pleased what so ever. Call me a possessive, jealous bastard, but I demand exclusivity. I want to have from you what anyone else does. I want your heart, soul, mind and body, all just for me." I said evoking the sacred vows between a marriage and his knight. "I don't want to share you with nobody else, even if it's just the look of you in sensuous clothes. That way I don't want you." I then turned and left. I couldn't handle the hurt look he was giving me.
ºººººººººº
After my argument with Squall I had gone to my destined room in Esthar's palace. I had been thinking, lying in my bed and now, with my head chilled out, I was starting to regret what I had said to the man I loved. Maybe he hadn't been guilty. Sullen could be very persuasive and demanding with outfits especially if he didn't think they would be appropriate and Squall wasn't responsible for the attentions he drew to himself. After all he always did even when not dressed like that. Besides it's normal that people are curious of the boy who had been in the center of so many rumors in the past. About Squall's sympathy, he now hadn't nothing to hide and Squall was always very gentle. I had to admit: I had been enraged and out of myself. I was a possessive and jealous bastard, even if I hadn't a relationship with Squall yet. I was so stupid. No way Squall would ever look at my face after this again. And since when was in the Almasies' blood to give up?! I would pursue him until he accepts me or I'd die trying, I decided. I would beg, crawl, do whatever it would take. For the thousandth time that night I cursed my rage.
A sudden knock at my bedroom door irrupted the silence of the night. I frowned. It was very late, who would be here at this hour?!"
"Come on in!" I said. The door opened slowly and a dark figure entered. I lighted a candle and opened the curtains so I could dissipate some of the darkness of the room. The figure closed the door as calmly as it had opened it. He then approached my bed where I was sitting and my eyes widened when I saw his face.
"Squall!" I exclaimed. Immediately I took conscience of my bare torso and feet. I was only wearing my pants.
Squall had a long cloak, which swept the floor, closed by a silver pendant. He still wore the jewels of the marriage, at least at his head because Seifer couldn't see the rest of his body due to the cape covering it. The light of the candle and the moon outside made the elder look even more beautiful. I rose and towered over him. He had been looking at the floor until then. Taking a deep breath he looked at me in the eyes. He had a rose tint to his cheeks and I wondered what he was thinking.
"I came here to apologize. Came to say you are right when you ask for exclusivity. I, too, don't want to share my lover with nobody else. I ask for your forgiveness. I only dressed that way to please you but I guess I was feeling a little vain in those clothes. I came here to give you what no one else has and what you demanded from me today." he said. My eyes widened.
"My heart," he said placing a hand over his heart and looking at it, "my mind," he said pointing to his head this time, "my soul" he looked into my eyes " and my body." Then he unhooked the pendant and the cape fell slowly to the floor reveling his beautiful naked frame, save for his jewels. My heart stopped and I forgot how to breathe. His pale skin glowed in the moonlight while the sapphires in his jewels caught the candlelight. He was more than beautiful. He looked shyly at me.
"Will you accept?" he invoked the sacred vows. How could I deny such an offer? I looked directly at his eyes.
"Yes." I said firmly, my voice full of emotion. He still looked shy and slight uncomfortable even if he smiled. It was his first time and I would make it an unforgettable good memory for him and for me.
ºººººººººº
When I came down to earth, I encountered my beautiful angel smiling at me. I smiled at him and kissed him with all the love in my heart. Then I used a sheet to clean the mess we had made and I took him beneath the others with me, holding him in my arms while at the same time kissing his forehead and tear-streaked face.
"I love you." Squall said. He had never really said all the words to me and I felt the happiest man in the world.
"I love you too." I answered, "Sorry about my previous words today, I didn't mean to hurt you. I was just so jealous, I wasn't thinking right." He smiled.
"It's okay. I guess I was feeling as beautiful as Sullen in those clothes, even though I didn't like all the attention around me. It's just I felt special, worthy of you. What would people say of you exchanging someone as Sullen for someone as me, you understand? And then Sullen was so insistent." he looked at me expectantly. I laughed after a few moments of surprise. Talking about innocence. He still didn't have a clue how gorgeous he was. Probably was going to be like that for the rest of his life. Then again the idea he was trying to make himself worthy of me flattered me more than any complement ever made to me.
"I like you exactly as you are. If I would want you to be Sullen's twin, I'd stay with him, not crave for your love." I said kissing the top of his head. He yawned and smiled.
"Now that you say it, I guess you're right." he let out a relieved and content sigh and snuggled more, making himself more comfortable on my chest, ready to fall asleep in my arms. I smiled and held him tighter. I couldn't be happier than this.
ºººººººººº
[two months later]
"How do I look?" my son asked me for the tenth time in two minutes.
"You look fine Seifer!" my wife answered.
"Yeah! You look great. Now, let's go or you won't get in time on your own wedding. It's Squall who shall be late, not you!" my enthusiastic younger son said.
"This is not a wedding, Zell" my adoptive son, Sullen explained "it's a union between a knight and his sorcerer where Seifer will vow to give his mind, heart, soul and body solely to his sorcerer: Squall and Squall will vow to give him his. Because Squall's an elder his vow is even stronger. If they ever dishonor it, they'll be punished even with death, if the offense is serious enough. That's why few mages and knights accept the compromise."
"Yeah! How did you of all people get into this, Seifer?" Zell asked "you know that now you can't have your usual escapades, don't you?" Sullen cringed, my younger son and his big mouth. Thank Hyne Seifer was too nervous to care.
After fumbling a little more with his clothes, we finally managed to drag Seifer to the temple. Squall was already waiting when we got there, though he was in his entrance room and we couldn't see him. We could tell because his brother Lake was already ready to open the door.
"Squall was already thinking you wouldn't show up." Olian scolded my son as soon as he approached us.
"And I was about to hunt you down and serve you at lunch today, if you didn't." Sephiroth said accompanying him. "It's the knight who waits for the sorcerer, not the other way around." He completed.
"I know, I know!" Seifer said, then sighed and then readied himself to enter. Lake opened Squall's door at the same time Zell opened Seifer's. And they both walked to the other. Squall (to Sullen's disgust) had the simplest outfit he could have: a white long tunic with long transparent sleeves (Raine's touch). It was embroidered with gold straw on the collar and on the hem of the tunic (Sullen's touch). He had golden sandals on his feet (Rinoa and Lake's touch) and on his head a single gold diadem shaped as an enchained rope. At the waist another gold belt with the same shape (Allendia's present). On his finger, the commitment ring (Seifer's touch). He held the golden staff he was going to offer to Hyne so that she blessed their union. Seifer had the ceremony silver gunblade he was also going to offer for the same reason.
My son was dressed with a loose white shirt folded by blue pants with the help of an also blue belt and a gray cape with our family red cross-sword. On his head he had a white hat with red and blue feathers and on his face the biggest smile I had ever seen.
He gave his hand to Squall and together they headed for the altar where they offered their gifts to Hyne. To everybody's surprise, from the sky started to rain little lights and flowers. Sullen looked at Olian then at the Elder Queens. The two smiled. Understanding Sullen's eyes widened and then he also smiled.
"You did this?" my younger son asked him in a whisper. I was a bit curious too.
"No." Sullen answered in the same tone "No mage can bring his wands to the temple."
"Then who did it?" I asked.
"Hyne did, sir Almasy. Hyne blessed their union. It doesn't occur with frequency, this type of manifestation but in the old times these signs were believed to happen while the union of two people whose souls had already been destined."
"You mean that Hyne had already determined they were going to be together even before their birth?" Sullen nodded at my question.
"Wow!" was Zell's exclamation. I had nothing more to say to that either.
Meanwhile, my older son and Squall had already vowed and were now placing the bracelets of the union on their wrists. They then turned to each other and kissed to everybody's applause. Then they exited the temple, Squall with a white flower trapped on the diadem and Seifer full of those and lights on the brim of his hat. Only when they left the temple the rain of flowers and green lights stopped.
Everybody left with them to go to the party organized by the Trabia's princess Selphie. I stayed behind and prayed to Hyne to give my son and Squall the happiness they deserved and thanked her for giving my son the thing he wanted and searched so badly during all his life. Love.
I The End /center/I
Wow! Finally I finished it. About time, he?! I think I did reasonably okay, though I think some parts could be improved. Anyway I liked the story and loved to write it.
And yeah, I know the end was sappy. But hey, I promised a happy ending.
I would appreciate a final comment on this story. So please review or mail me. Thanks for reading. I hope you have enjoyed.
Azure.
Warnings: Yaoi rated R.
Summary: Complete. (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?
This epilogue had an NC-17 version on my site. If you like and are allowed to read, go there. The url is in my profile page.
ISons of Elder Guardians/I
By Azure Knight
Epilogue
I awakened in a long desert with sand and sandy wind surrounding me from everywhere. I wondered where I was, I wondered if we had won. What happened to Sullen? To Olian? To my beloved Squall? I don't know why but it came to my mind the day of the picnic in Great Salt Lake. Squall with my hat in his head picking blueberries in the water. I smiled. Oh yes, if I was dead then I had died happy. If I would die in this land of doom, then I would die happy too, thinking of my Squall. Suddenly I felt an urge to look at the blue sky and I saw far, far away something that caught my attention. A bird maybe. No, not a bird. A dragon. It was a dragon being rode by someone. A mage. I ran in the direction the dragon had taken.
I ran and ran and ran for minutes, maybe hours. Sometimes I stumbled in the sand, swallowing some of it. And then with the exhaustion and the heat of the place I started to see things, mirages and despair came upon me. But I kept walking.
A few dunes and some yards of sand later I saw another mirage or maybe it wasn't. It was a huge structure made of stone, metal and iron bars. I reached for the gates and found out that indeed it wasn't a mirage. It was a tomb of some sort. In front of me I had a vast stone staircase and on top of it there it was. The dragon and the mage. From where I stood I could only see that he wore a black cape with silver hemmed in strange designs, a black matching pointy hat on top of his head and cascading from under it, reaching the mage's waist, long waves of shining unruly auburn hair. The sun cast on it reflects of gold. Because he was praying with his back to me I couldn't see his face
I started climbing the stairs and when I had finished the first flight of it, the mage stood and stirred.
"What are you doing here?" a soft voice said in my head. I startled a little before I noticed it had been the mage who was telepathically speaking to me. Perhaps because I didn't say (or think) a thing, he continued.
"You don't belong here. You are lost aren't you?" He kept his back to me.
"Yes, milord." I said out loud. "I effectively don't know where I am."
"The problem isn't where you are, but in what time you are!" my eyes widened. 'Great' I thought.
Then, from the other side of the tomb, a blond knight appeared. We looked at each other for a few seconds and then we both gaped at the same time. His moves, his posture, and the way he looked at me. His facial structure, the short blond hair, the tanned skin. It was like seeing me in a mirror. However, I noticed that he had a manlier figure and a more serious face. He was clearly older than me and resembled my father a lot, but he was I nonetheless. I was seeing me in the future.
My other self turned to the mage I had no clue who it was yet and spoke something. I had a little perception that the mage answered him but I couldn't hear given the distance. The older me looked at me again and then he turned to the mage one more time speaking to him. I was getting frustrated of their little chat, that I couldn't hear, obviously about me and started to climbing the other six or seven flights of stone stairs. Suddenly the older Seifer raised a hand and spoke.
"Halt! This is a sacred place, you can't climb here!" he said. I glared at him.
"You are there!" I said as a matter of fact and continued climbing. I (the older me) glared at me in return and replied furious.
"Halt, I said. I'm allowed to be here because I'm accompanied by a mage." The mage chuckled. I made as if I hadn't heard my other self's words and continued climbing. I was four flights away from them when old Seifer huffed and mumbled something about disobeying knights. The mage chuckled once more and told him something. He narrowed his eyes dangerously and glared at the mage. Only me to be able to do that to a mage without being already dead with a lightning spell. The mage, however, chuckled even more. And then he spoke in my head again.
"I'll help you going back to the time you belong." I stopped and bowed.
"Thank you, milord. What do I have to do? And what do you want in return for such a service?" Old Seifer looked dangerously with narrowed eyes, but now at me.
"Oh! Come on." I said. "I'm certainly younger than you." The older me looked startled at my comment.
"He has a point." I heard the mage say and exactly as he finished saying it, he had us both stiffen, but from different reasons. My older self looked incredulously to the mage.
"What do you mean by that?!" he said, shocked while I looked stunned to the mage as well. The voice was so look alike Sullen's it frightened but I definitely recalled that Sullen had blond hair, and I certainly remembered another person with that timber of voice that could match those awesome brown locks, a certain young with short auburn hair. It couldn't be. The change had been too great. The pose, the way he held himself. Nonetheless I risked.
"Squall?!" I said with my heart pounding in my ears.
My other self looked at me and the mage turned. He smiled and nodded. I let go of the breath I was holding without knowing. I ran to him, kind of clumsily, and cupped his face in my hands; under the jealous protective glare my older self was giving me.
Squall surpassed Sullen a thousand times in beauty. That porcelain face framed by his auburn hair, those shining gray-blue eyes with, that beautiful smile. And his scent, the scent I loved and worshiped. It was my Squall all right. An even more beautiful Squall, if that was possible.
Suddenly I was pulled back.
"You better go." My other self said grabbing at the same time Squall's waist, possessively. I smirked despite myself. I was such a selfish bastard; tough I might have my reasons.
Squall rolled his eyes and looked at the older me. "I can't believe you're jealous of yourself!" he said not in a bored tone, however, but on an amused one, I'd say. Made me think it wasn't the first time I had that reaction to someone else touching my Squall.
"I'm not jealous!" Older Seifer said. Eh, I was in denial too. "Besides you agreed that a younger--" he was interrupted by a finger in his lips.
"Oh! Shut up, Seifer. I was kidding..." he said smiling sweetly at my other self. Like I could ever resist that smile.
"You were?" Old Seifer replied, making a successful face of a lost puppy. Looked kind of strange on my face, specially an older one. Oh boy, love makes us do such sad figures.
Anyway, Squall looked like he was used to those, for he shook his head although he was smiling. I started to worry. I didn't do those in front of other people, did I?
Squall turned to me. "Please don't tell this adventure of yours to anyone. I'll now take you back." I nodded. He then took a deep breath and whispered a few words I couldn't understand and next a soft lavender light and I felt me floating. "Have a good trip and be patient with me." He told me telepathically, probably so that my other self didn't hear.
Tough I felt myself drifting to unconsciousness; I heard their voices in the tomb.
"Is he gone?!" my baritone voice.
"Hum, hum..." Squall's voice sounding farther away from mine. I was being pulled away from them.
"So...about you being kidding..." Wait a second. Was that my husky voice?!" An urgent scolding followed.
"Not here, Seifer! This is a sacred place!" I was distancing form them, for their voices sounded even more distant than before. Then I grasp the meaning of Squall's words and I grinned.
I heard myself replying, already very low. "Think I care?!" Of course not, eh!
"Seifer!!!" Squall's urgent squeak, my older's evil laughing and then darkness.
ºººººººººº
One week after the events a Council reunion was made and this time all were present. Tellian used it to explain to everyone what had happened, seeing how many still stood clueless. Seifer's family got their lands back; sir Almasy was given the government of Balamb, since Ultimecia had killed the royal family; and Quistis was given the administration of Balamb Garden, now that Cid had retired as well as Edea, taking Allendia her position in Galbadian's government.
Tellian also resigned and elections followed. Sullen was elected, as expected, ruler of the Union by unanimity. Olian and Aeris continued as his guards and counselors, Seifer retired to take care of the administration of his father's goods now that "the man was playing king of Balamb" as he said. The most unexpected was that Sullen chose for his successor and vice- ruler, his cousin Squall Loire, to the surprise of the boy himself. That way Seifer went to Balamb while Squall lived between Delling finishing his train as a sorcerer and Esthar with his family. Sephiroth and Flora continued by his side.
ºººººººººº
[A year later - Esthar]
Seifer had been fumbling with his outfit for his father's marriage. Actually not only his father's marriage for there were two marriages at the same time: the marriage between Elder Queen of Time and King Laguna of Esthar and Elder Queen of Space and King Guillon Almasy of Balamb. The two sisters had decided to marriage at the same day. So it was being given a huge ceremony with party afterwards in Esthar to commemorate.
Everybody would be there. Loire's house, almost all the mages, Almasy's house, Trepe's house, some Shumis and lots of knights and royal families like the Tilmits from Trabia.
Squall and Sullen would also be there. If somebody told him a year ago he would be Sullen's brother, he would have laugh out loud. Life takes strange paths indeed. Seifer had been in his father's lands taking care of them, because his brother Zell had married and had been in honeymoon in the Kinneas' lands. So he had been taking care of everything. He had been invited to join Balamb Garden as commander, many mages had invited him to be their knight, promised him fortunes, fame, lands,...he was the most wanted knight in the whole world. However, the one person he wanted to serve, he hadn't seen him in one year.
Finally, he was ready. It had taken time to dress himself but he was ready.
Almost everyone was already in the Esthar's temple when he arrived, including his father and brother. The temple was decorated in white, yellow and blue.
"Took you time to get here. We could almost mistake you for the bride, Seifer!" his young brother said.
"Very funny, chicken." was Seifer's reply.
"What did you call me?!" his brother said baling his fists before Seifer's smirk.
"Stop it, you two!" the blond groom said. "It's about time you two grow up. You're going have an important brother from now on. Behave!" Zell rolled his eyes. Seifer smirked.
"Okay, okay daddy, don't be nervous. I'm going over there to present my condolences to king Loire.
"Yeah. Why don't you take the chance and ask him Elder Squall's hand?"
"Zell!" King Almasy scolded though Seifer had been already too far to hear his younger brother's comment.
Seifer talked to Laguna, Lake, Sea and Rinoa until the ceremony was about to begin. When the doors started to open he hurried to his place and the wedding started with the march to the altar by both the Queen's.
Both Elder Queens were beautiful. Tellian was dressed in a white and yellow dress while Raine had a blue and white one. Taking them by their arms were their sons.
Sullen, fabulous as ever, was dressed in a gold and blue tunic that left his arms bare and had a large low neck that stood out his visible collarbone and long neck, which was holding a shining golden necklace, with various blue sapphires inlaid in it. On his head he had a similar crown and on all the length of his arms, bracelets with the same design. A simple golden engagement ring on his hand contrasted with the complexity of the other jewels. His long blond hair, curly as ever had been left loose and barely covered his also bare back that the tunic let show. On the edge of his long hair, on his waist, a golden belt held the tunic in place.
Squall had a very similar costume, only the designs of his jewels were a lot simpler and required a much less effort to make. Instead of a crown, Squall had solely a diadem in his forehead with a single sapphire. His arm- bracelets didn't go al his arm from shoulder to hand like Sullen's, appearing only at his wrists. His necklace was as simple as the rest of the jewels with only a sapphire meeting the center of his collarbone. His fingers were bare. The tunic wasn't so scandalous being a little more discreet in it's a little higher neck and making a U on his back and letting only see until the end of his shoulder blades. His belt was a little decayed standing out the graceful and sexy little sway of his hips as he walked. As the rest of his jewelry, the belt was made of white gold. His hair being longer, passing his shoulders by an inch, wasn't as curly as Sullen's, its messy waves being amazingly unruly. So as Sullen sensuality was almost forced, artificial; Squall's was natural, adding to that impression also the dark blue and white gold tunic and brown hair. A full of dark only letting see a little of pail skin between the two.
All stood looking at them as if mesmerized and Seifer watched intently the dark brown haired young. Suddenly he felt jealous that all the others were also admiring Squall's beauty and hotness. He grimaced. In that instant, Squall's eyes darted to him and the younger boy's cheeks tinted a little rose, when he noticed Seifer had been watching him not so happy as the brunette would expect. He lowered his eyes shyly and sadly. He wasn't feeling comfortable on those clothes and seeing Seifer's almost angry face made him wonder why did he had listen to Sullen after all.
The ceremony continued without incidents and eventually it ended. The wedding dinner followed. Seifer stayed moody during all of it while seeing men and women talking to and admiring Squall. He couldn't get alone with him, not even close to him. Squall kept smiling and welcoming every person. After five hours trying, the blond eventually gave up talking to him that night and went to chat with his friends. However, not even his friends took out the feeling he was being left aside, alone. He had convinced himself that Squall wanted him and wanted to go further into a more serious relationship, a permanent commitment, even, once the dust of the last year's events settled down and he had his life organized. Guess he was wrong. He had waited this long, he had had patience as he had been asked. He would wait no more.
During the conversations with his friends, Seifer had found that Olian and Sullen were engaged, he stayed happy for them. He only wished he could be that happy with his elder as well. Guess now, that his fame and beauty had gone into Squall's head and he had forgotten Seifer that would be very hard.
ºººººººººº
The party was being beautiful, it was lovely when the recently married cut the cake, danced together and switching pairs, it was stupid, cute and infuriating when the brides launched their bouquets. Stupid, because Sullen who was to get married in three months didn't get one. Cute because Tellian's went to Lake who had been sitting nearby, not being in the mass to catch and he looked at it on his lap, surprised. Everyone clapped and many saw Allendia's shy looks towards the boy. Rinoa almost screamed in rage, because her younger brother was going to marry before she did. Next was Raine's turn and it was definitely infuriating, because the bouquet went to Squall's hands, who wasn't in the mass either, being near Lake. He seemed surprised as well. Then a brunette knight reached him and Squall happily smiled at him while the knight bowed, looking at Squall with love, or so Seifer thought. If he hadn't been blind by jealousy he would see that the look shared was from pure friendship and nothing more than that.
ºººººººººº
I stayed so furious. So Squall was going to marry a knight who obviously wasn't me. I had to get out of there to relieve my rage and so I went to the corridor where I had seen Squall riding the first time I came to Esthar, taking a deep breath of the night pure air. I should've known Squall didn't look for me, had forgotten me, for some reason. The only thing preventing me from despairing was my inflamed rage coming from the sensation of betrayal. I looked at the night sky and to the illuminated garden that once again mocked my agony.
Suddenly, a few minutes later I felt someone behind me. I turned and saw Squall, eyes shining from the lights outside that also caught on his jewels making them glow. Not saying a thing I turned again and leaned over the stone rail. Squall did the same beside me. After an awkward silence he spoke.
"It's a beautiful night, isn't it?"
"Yes." Short, simple and expressionless. Another awkward silence followed. Squall wasn't used to do the talking. Abruptly he, perhaps sensing my rage or seeing the serious expression on my face, asked.
"What happened? Why are you so bitter today...to me?"
"You look like a slut doll." Was my answer and well, maybe that was a little too harsh. His eyes widened and he looked at me startled, taken aback.
"Well you could have said you don't like my clothes and jewels another way." He said after recovering from my explosion. But I still had a few bomb to launch.
"Oh, believe me," I said sarcastically laughing "your jewels and clothes are beautiful, it's you in them I don't like. They 're perfect for Sullen."
"Are you trying to tell me I don't look well in them, is that it?" he said almost angry with me.
"No, what I'm trying to tell you is that you aren't the Squall I met. The Squall I met would never dress like that to draw attentions to himself. He was discreet and hated the spotlight. The Squall I fell in love with was innocent, beautiful, sweet, humble. The Squall I'm seeing now is full of vanity. You're different. You've changed, for worse." I said. Squall looked desperate.
"It was Sullen's idea to dress me like this. I didn't want to, but he said, he asked if I didn't want to look good to impress handsome knights."
"Oh, don't worry, I'm sure the brunet knight you wanted to impress is very pleased. Thank Hyne I'm not that knight." I said bitterly, thinking exactly the contraire of what I was thanking, and then I looked at his clueless face.
"Who?!" he asked. He really didn't know what I was talking about, who I was talking about. I smiled sullenly.
"I was wrong. You're still clueless." I said, then turned and started to leave. He called me.
"Seifer, wait! You're the only knight I wanted to impress and that I want to please." He said his voice trembling. I stopped and turned. My heart went to life again. But then I remembered the awful night I was having trying to speak to him and all those people gawking at him. I was still very angry.
"Well, you surely didn't. I saw many other knights gaping at you and I'm not pleased what so ever. Call me a possessive, jealous bastard, but I demand exclusivity. I want to have from you what anyone else does. I want your heart, soul, mind and body, all just for me." I said evoking the sacred vows between a marriage and his knight. "I don't want to share you with nobody else, even if it's just the look of you in sensuous clothes. That way I don't want you." I then turned and left. I couldn't handle the hurt look he was giving me.
ºººººººººº
After my argument with Squall I had gone to my destined room in Esthar's palace. I had been thinking, lying in my bed and now, with my head chilled out, I was starting to regret what I had said to the man I loved. Maybe he hadn't been guilty. Sullen could be very persuasive and demanding with outfits especially if he didn't think they would be appropriate and Squall wasn't responsible for the attentions he drew to himself. After all he always did even when not dressed like that. Besides it's normal that people are curious of the boy who had been in the center of so many rumors in the past. About Squall's sympathy, he now hadn't nothing to hide and Squall was always very gentle. I had to admit: I had been enraged and out of myself. I was a possessive and jealous bastard, even if I hadn't a relationship with Squall yet. I was so stupid. No way Squall would ever look at my face after this again. And since when was in the Almasies' blood to give up?! I would pursue him until he accepts me or I'd die trying, I decided. I would beg, crawl, do whatever it would take. For the thousandth time that night I cursed my rage.
A sudden knock at my bedroom door irrupted the silence of the night. I frowned. It was very late, who would be here at this hour?!"
"Come on in!" I said. The door opened slowly and a dark figure entered. I lighted a candle and opened the curtains so I could dissipate some of the darkness of the room. The figure closed the door as calmly as it had opened it. He then approached my bed where I was sitting and my eyes widened when I saw his face.
"Squall!" I exclaimed. Immediately I took conscience of my bare torso and feet. I was only wearing my pants.
Squall had a long cloak, which swept the floor, closed by a silver pendant. He still wore the jewels of the marriage, at least at his head because Seifer couldn't see the rest of his body due to the cape covering it. The light of the candle and the moon outside made the elder look even more beautiful. I rose and towered over him. He had been looking at the floor until then. Taking a deep breath he looked at me in the eyes. He had a rose tint to his cheeks and I wondered what he was thinking.
"I came here to apologize. Came to say you are right when you ask for exclusivity. I, too, don't want to share my lover with nobody else. I ask for your forgiveness. I only dressed that way to please you but I guess I was feeling a little vain in those clothes. I came here to give you what no one else has and what you demanded from me today." he said. My eyes widened.
"My heart," he said placing a hand over his heart and looking at it, "my mind," he said pointing to his head this time, "my soul" he looked into my eyes " and my body." Then he unhooked the pendant and the cape fell slowly to the floor reveling his beautiful naked frame, save for his jewels. My heart stopped and I forgot how to breathe. His pale skin glowed in the moonlight while the sapphires in his jewels caught the candlelight. He was more than beautiful. He looked shyly at me.
"Will you accept?" he invoked the sacred vows. How could I deny such an offer? I looked directly at his eyes.
"Yes." I said firmly, my voice full of emotion. He still looked shy and slight uncomfortable even if he smiled. It was his first time and I would make it an unforgettable good memory for him and for me.
ºººººººººº
When I came down to earth, I encountered my beautiful angel smiling at me. I smiled at him and kissed him with all the love in my heart. Then I used a sheet to clean the mess we had made and I took him beneath the others with me, holding him in my arms while at the same time kissing his forehead and tear-streaked face.
"I love you." Squall said. He had never really said all the words to me and I felt the happiest man in the world.
"I love you too." I answered, "Sorry about my previous words today, I didn't mean to hurt you. I was just so jealous, I wasn't thinking right." He smiled.
"It's okay. I guess I was feeling as beautiful as Sullen in those clothes, even though I didn't like all the attention around me. It's just I felt special, worthy of you. What would people say of you exchanging someone as Sullen for someone as me, you understand? And then Sullen was so insistent." he looked at me expectantly. I laughed after a few moments of surprise. Talking about innocence. He still didn't have a clue how gorgeous he was. Probably was going to be like that for the rest of his life. Then again the idea he was trying to make himself worthy of me flattered me more than any complement ever made to me.
"I like you exactly as you are. If I would want you to be Sullen's twin, I'd stay with him, not crave for your love." I said kissing the top of his head. He yawned and smiled.
"Now that you say it, I guess you're right." he let out a relieved and content sigh and snuggled more, making himself more comfortable on my chest, ready to fall asleep in my arms. I smiled and held him tighter. I couldn't be happier than this.
ºººººººººº
[two months later]
"How do I look?" my son asked me for the tenth time in two minutes.
"You look fine Seifer!" my wife answered.
"Yeah! You look great. Now, let's go or you won't get in time on your own wedding. It's Squall who shall be late, not you!" my enthusiastic younger son said.
"This is not a wedding, Zell" my adoptive son, Sullen explained "it's a union between a knight and his sorcerer where Seifer will vow to give his mind, heart, soul and body solely to his sorcerer: Squall and Squall will vow to give him his. Because Squall's an elder his vow is even stronger. If they ever dishonor it, they'll be punished even with death, if the offense is serious enough. That's why few mages and knights accept the compromise."
"Yeah! How did you of all people get into this, Seifer?" Zell asked "you know that now you can't have your usual escapades, don't you?" Sullen cringed, my younger son and his big mouth. Thank Hyne Seifer was too nervous to care.
After fumbling a little more with his clothes, we finally managed to drag Seifer to the temple. Squall was already waiting when we got there, though he was in his entrance room and we couldn't see him. We could tell because his brother Lake was already ready to open the door.
"Squall was already thinking you wouldn't show up." Olian scolded my son as soon as he approached us.
"And I was about to hunt you down and serve you at lunch today, if you didn't." Sephiroth said accompanying him. "It's the knight who waits for the sorcerer, not the other way around." He completed.
"I know, I know!" Seifer said, then sighed and then readied himself to enter. Lake opened Squall's door at the same time Zell opened Seifer's. And they both walked to the other. Squall (to Sullen's disgust) had the simplest outfit he could have: a white long tunic with long transparent sleeves (Raine's touch). It was embroidered with gold straw on the collar and on the hem of the tunic (Sullen's touch). He had golden sandals on his feet (Rinoa and Lake's touch) and on his head a single gold diadem shaped as an enchained rope. At the waist another gold belt with the same shape (Allendia's present). On his finger, the commitment ring (Seifer's touch). He held the golden staff he was going to offer to Hyne so that she blessed their union. Seifer had the ceremony silver gunblade he was also going to offer for the same reason.
My son was dressed with a loose white shirt folded by blue pants with the help of an also blue belt and a gray cape with our family red cross-sword. On his head he had a white hat with red and blue feathers and on his face the biggest smile I had ever seen.
He gave his hand to Squall and together they headed for the altar where they offered their gifts to Hyne. To everybody's surprise, from the sky started to rain little lights and flowers. Sullen looked at Olian then at the Elder Queens. The two smiled. Understanding Sullen's eyes widened and then he also smiled.
"You did this?" my younger son asked him in a whisper. I was a bit curious too.
"No." Sullen answered in the same tone "No mage can bring his wands to the temple."
"Then who did it?" I asked.
"Hyne did, sir Almasy. Hyne blessed their union. It doesn't occur with frequency, this type of manifestation but in the old times these signs were believed to happen while the union of two people whose souls had already been destined."
"You mean that Hyne had already determined they were going to be together even before their birth?" Sullen nodded at my question.
"Wow!" was Zell's exclamation. I had nothing more to say to that either.
Meanwhile, my older son and Squall had already vowed and were now placing the bracelets of the union on their wrists. They then turned to each other and kissed to everybody's applause. Then they exited the temple, Squall with a white flower trapped on the diadem and Seifer full of those and lights on the brim of his hat. Only when they left the temple the rain of flowers and green lights stopped.
Everybody left with them to go to the party organized by the Trabia's princess Selphie. I stayed behind and prayed to Hyne to give my son and Squall the happiness they deserved and thanked her for giving my son the thing he wanted and searched so badly during all his life. Love.
I The End /center/I
Wow! Finally I finished it. About time, he?! I think I did reasonably okay, though I think some parts could be improved. Anyway I liked the story and loved to write it.
And yeah, I know the end was sappy. But hey, I promised a happy ending.
I would appreciate a final comment on this story. So please review or mail me. Thanks for reading. I hope you have enjoyed.
Azure.