All Heaven in the Midnight of the Sun
Chapter Five
When Garret regained consciousness, it was night. A sliver of moon spilled through the opened window above his bed and onto his face. He groaned and rubbed his head.
"Well, friend, it seems I did not welcome you as a good host should. I apologize."
Garret looked around the room, searching for the source of the voice. The room was too deeply shadowed, and he could see nothing.
"Who are you?" He managed to keep the fear out of his voice, but it was a near thing.
"Has it been so long that you don't recognize my voice, Garret?"
A figure stepped from the shadows. Garret's eyes widened in shock as he realized that it was a moogle.
"Kurin? My God, it's been forever!"
The moogle laughed, then walked forward and embraced Garret warmly.
"I am truly sorry, friend. The soldiers attacked before they realized it was you. In times like these, with the Emperor on his mad crusade, you're lucky you got away with your head still attached."
Garret smiled. "No worries, Kurin. It could've been-" His eyes widened in sudden shock. "Wait! Where's the girl? The one who was with me?"
Kurin chuckled. "Who do you think we are, monsters? She's fine, just unconscious. You can see her whenever you like."
Garret sighed, then sank back into the warmth of the bed. He looked over at Kurin, his face worried.
"Has the Emperor discovered you?"
The moogle shook his head. "No, but he suspects. One day he will just decide to burn down the entire forest to get rid of us. Bastard."
"I've never seen you so serious."
"These are serious times. But, no matter. How goes your village? I haven't been down in a while."
A tear slipped down Garret's cheek. He didn't notice, but Kurin did.
"It's gone, friend. It's been wiped off the face of the earth."
Kurin's eyes widened in horror. "By who? Why would the Emperor attack a village of humans?"
Garret shook his head. "Not the Emperor. I…I can't tell you now."
Kurin nodded, eyes still wide with shock.
"We are…having a festival in the square. If you wish, you can come down." With that, he slipped silently from the room. Garret watched him go, then turned back to the window, and to the moon.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
As Garret stepped out of his room and into the moonlit night, he could hear the steady beat of drums and the chant of voices. He looked to both sides and saw that he was flanked by two guards. He walked down the forest path leading from his cell until he broke into a firelit clearing. He looked around, amazed at the sheer numbers of moogles dancing and singing and playing. As he searched for Kurin, he saw many suspicious eyes glaring at him. It worried him that the moogles, normally the most friendly and carefree of people, reacted to him in such a way. He wondered how suspicious the Emperor had truly become. He found Kurin at the edge of the clearing, sitting and talking with the girl. Her eyes were normal, the glowing and somehow hideous light gone from them now, and he wondered if perhaps he had dreamed it. He sat down next to Kurin.
"Ah, Garret! So glad to see you awake! I've been talking with your friend here for quite a while, and was beginning to wonder where you were."
Aeris giggled. "You have an interesting friend, Garret. He has a lot of stories."
Kurin winked at Garret. "And I haven't told her the half of them." His grin disappeared as he looked across the square where his people sang and danced. "Some of the stories aren't for her ears anyway. The history of my people has hardly been a blessed one for the past thousand years. We dance now in desperation as much as joy. We are not warriors. We don't have the power to stand against the Emperor. Those moogles died with Mog and his kin. We pray and dance for just a token of his power, just the smallest light to break through the darkness. I don't think it will come. I think our darkness is meant to last forever."
Garret looked over at Aeris. "I need to speak with you. Could you give us a moment, Kurin?"
Kurin bowed slightly and left.
Aeris looked at Garret, and he realized with some surprise that she was terrified of him. He took a deep breath, and spoke.
"What's the last thing you remember after going to sleep yesterday night?"
She looked at him for a moment before shaking her head slowly.
"Nothing. Nothing until I woke up here."
"There's no need to be afraid." His voice was gentle, and she looked up at him, her eyes glistening in the light of the fire. It took him a moment to realize that she was crying.
"From the moment I've woken up I've been a murderer. I can't remember it, but it's true. I'm a monster, a demon, and I can't even remember my own name!"
He reached over and grabbed her hand gently in his.
" I…I don't blame you." He nearly choked on the words, but as he spoke them, he recognized their truth.
She got slowly to her feet and looked at him. When she spoke, her voice was choked and hoarse.
"Thank you."
Then she bowed deeply and left. The shadow that stood several feet away in the trees, listening, slipped away, and the night was empty once more.