Chapter 3
Edge returned to the room that he was sharing with the Chamberlain, which was splendid, to say the least. He hung the Masamune on a hook in the wall and flopped down on his ornate bed, but barely noticed the softness of the comforter around him. He was still thinking about Rydia.
"I want to go see her," he said aloud to the empty room. The Chamberlain was out sharing drinks with some of the advisers to Cecil and Yang.
"And why shouldn't I go see her?" he asked the emptiness again, sitting up now on the luxurious bed. "She is an old friend of mine. And I haven't talked to her in ages."
Edge looked around. "I hope Sam doesn't come in. He'd think I was crazy," and promptly got up and headed for the guest room that he knew to be Rydia's, a couple flights higher in the tower.
He was about to knock on the door, but paused to listen. He could hear Rosa's voice, indistinct but obviously very excited, chatting nonstop. The two girls laughed. Edge didn't want to get into the middle of a girls' night thing, so he continued up the stairs with a sigh, having some vague idea of seeing the night sky from the balcony.
"You can't imagine how nervous I am, Rydia!" Rosa said, turning from the closet where she was hanging up Rydia's dresses. "I'm sorry to be talking your ear off like this, but I've missed having my best girlfriend around to listen to me babble."
Rydia smiled and turned from her vanity mirror, where she was setting up her things. "I've missed having you around, too," she said sincerely. "The Sylphs that accompanied me here are very sweet, but they're still not -- well -- you."
"Thanks, Rydia," and the two girls hugged.
"Well, I've told you about every detail of the wedding plans, and the ceremony plans," Rosa said humorously. "I think I'll leave you to rest now."
"And you get a good night's sleep, too!" Rydia instructed her friend. "Tomorrow morning we'll both be up bright and early, and the Sylphs and I will help you get dressed and put on makeup. You're the star tomorrow!"
"And you, sweet dear, are the maid of honor!" Rosa reminded her fondly as she left the room.
Rydia looked around at her room. It was small, but as she was the only one in it, it suited her well. Rosa had had time to decorate only one room, and chose Rydia's, adorning it with small girl-trinkets. She had even provided for the vanity mirror that Rydia appreciated very much.
Rydia didn't feel like sleeping just yet, but didn't have anything to do. She thought about running after Rosa and talking more, but decided that her friend really did need her sleep. After a few moment's hesitation, she left the room and headed downstairs.
"Hello?" she asked timidly, peering around the door to see an unfamiliar face. "Oh -- I'm sorry," she said. "I must have the wrong room." And she turned and left hurriedly.
"Wonder who that was," the Chamberlain of Eblan muttered, but having returned from his drinking binge only recently, did not really care at the moment.
Rydia headed back to her room, wondering where Edge could be, perhaps still practicing combat with Yang, perhaps trying to pick up girls in the bar in the other tower. She shook her head and hoped it wasn't the latter. Preoccupied as such, she nearly walked into someone coming down the steps, but was stopped by a pair of strong hands on her shoulders.
"Rydia!" Edge laughed, stopping her in her tracks. "What are you so thoughtful about? You should still pay attention to the world every now and then!"
"Oh, Edge!" Rydia gasped, caught entirely off-guard. "I'm sorry, I -- I must be more tired than I thought. I -- I was just -- heading to the balcony."
"Ah, that's where I came from," Edge replied, not moving his hands from her shoulders.
"Oh, I thought perhaps you were at the bar," Rydia said before she could stop herself.
Edge's eyebrows raised, and he released her. "No, I was simply enjoying the night air," he replied shortly. "Alone."
"Well, if you'd like to enjoy the night air again, not alone, I am heading up there now," Rydia said softly.
Edge cleared his throat. "Sure," he said.
They headed up the stairs, still a slight feel of tension between them. But when they reached the top, Rydia took a deep breath and walked across the top of the tower with outstretched arms. "Ah, air!" she exclaimed. "This is what we miss in the underground, the simple feeling of fresh air."
Edge watched her with amusement. "I never thought anyone would think air was so special," he said. "You must have air in the underground, otherwise you'd never be able to breathe."
"Well, we have air, of course," she turned back to him. "But it's not like this. It has that constant sulfuric scent because of all of the magma. There's no sun, no moon, just the glow from the magma."
"Especially living in a cave," Edge said dryly.
Rydia blushed. "True."
"You don't belong in a cave," Edge told her. "You don't even belong underground. You should be up here. With the air. And the sun and the moon and -- well -- we've got grass and oceans and all these crazy beautiful things," he teased her.
"Of course, but my home is in the Land of the Summoned Monsters," she laughed. Then she sighed. "Although I do miss all those things."
"How is it, living with monsters all the time?" asked Edge.
"I wouldn't even call them 'monsters,' it's such an unfriendly-sounding term," Rydia said defensively. "They're -- just creatures, like you and me, and all of them are so interesting! I learn every day about the different ways they act and react to things. And they are so friendly, and so loving, it's impossible not to love them back."
"But they like you," Edge said. "You're a Caller. They didn't like any other visiting humans very much, if I remember correctly. We made them uncomfortable."
"Well, yes," Rydia admitted. "But they would still welcome any friends of mine."
"Anyone who made it through the cave, at least," Edge grumbled. "That thing is like a triple-defense security system. It's worth at least ten defending Ninjas."
Rydia laughed appreciatively. "Thank goodness the Sylphs are to escort me here and back," she confessed. "I'd be terrified to go through the cave by myself."
"What, even with the heroine robe?" Edge kidded. "I hear you brought it for the ceremony?"
"Yes, only for the actual crowning of Rosa and Cecil, though," Rydia said. "I'd look a little ridiculous in armor at the wedding or the banquet, don't you think?" She laughed.
"We're walking down the aisle together, right?" Edge said.
Rydia looked at him, puzzled. "Excuse me?"
"For the wedding," Edge said. "You know, since you're the maid of honor, and I'm the best man? Or, rather, surrogate best man, I guess."
"I thought Kain was to be the best man," Rydia said.
"Oh, you didn't hear?" Edge said, surprised. "He's not coming to the wedding or the ceremony. Actually, he should be somewhere on Mt. Ordeals right now, journeying to be accepted by the light."
"Oh!" Rydia said. "I had no idea. I hope he's doing all right."
"Me too," Edge said. He confided in her, "I wanted him to take some of my men at least, but he wouldn't. He wanted to go by himself. You know him . stubborn."
"Yes, he's the only one I know who's stubborn," Rydia said mildly.
"I don't know what you're implying there," Edge said, pretending to be offended. "Besides, so what if I'm stubborn? That's why Kain and I get along so well."
"So Kain's not coming, so you were picked as second choice?" Rydia said in that same mild tone.
Edge clucked and shook his head. "You look sweet, but you've really got quite a stinger there, don't you," he joked with her. Rydia shrugged with a smile on her face.
"I think I will go to bed now," she said. "Thank you for coming up here with me, Edge."
"Thank you, Rydia," he said, and took her hand and kissed it.
Rydia once again blushed and, with an incline of her head, disappeared down the stairs.
Edge returned to the room that he was sharing with the Chamberlain, which was splendid, to say the least. He hung the Masamune on a hook in the wall and flopped down on his ornate bed, but barely noticed the softness of the comforter around him. He was still thinking about Rydia.
"I want to go see her," he said aloud to the empty room. The Chamberlain was out sharing drinks with some of the advisers to Cecil and Yang.
"And why shouldn't I go see her?" he asked the emptiness again, sitting up now on the luxurious bed. "She is an old friend of mine. And I haven't talked to her in ages."
Edge looked around. "I hope Sam doesn't come in. He'd think I was crazy," and promptly got up and headed for the guest room that he knew to be Rydia's, a couple flights higher in the tower.
He was about to knock on the door, but paused to listen. He could hear Rosa's voice, indistinct but obviously very excited, chatting nonstop. The two girls laughed. Edge didn't want to get into the middle of a girls' night thing, so he continued up the stairs with a sigh, having some vague idea of seeing the night sky from the balcony.
"You can't imagine how nervous I am, Rydia!" Rosa said, turning from the closet where she was hanging up Rydia's dresses. "I'm sorry to be talking your ear off like this, but I've missed having my best girlfriend around to listen to me babble."
Rydia smiled and turned from her vanity mirror, where she was setting up her things. "I've missed having you around, too," she said sincerely. "The Sylphs that accompanied me here are very sweet, but they're still not -- well -- you."
"Thanks, Rydia," and the two girls hugged.
"Well, I've told you about every detail of the wedding plans, and the ceremony plans," Rosa said humorously. "I think I'll leave you to rest now."
"And you get a good night's sleep, too!" Rydia instructed her friend. "Tomorrow morning we'll both be up bright and early, and the Sylphs and I will help you get dressed and put on makeup. You're the star tomorrow!"
"And you, sweet dear, are the maid of honor!" Rosa reminded her fondly as she left the room.
Rydia looked around at her room. It was small, but as she was the only one in it, it suited her well. Rosa had had time to decorate only one room, and chose Rydia's, adorning it with small girl-trinkets. She had even provided for the vanity mirror that Rydia appreciated very much.
Rydia didn't feel like sleeping just yet, but didn't have anything to do. She thought about running after Rosa and talking more, but decided that her friend really did need her sleep. After a few moment's hesitation, she left the room and headed downstairs.
"Hello?" she asked timidly, peering around the door to see an unfamiliar face. "Oh -- I'm sorry," she said. "I must have the wrong room." And she turned and left hurriedly.
"Wonder who that was," the Chamberlain of Eblan muttered, but having returned from his drinking binge only recently, did not really care at the moment.
Rydia headed back to her room, wondering where Edge could be, perhaps still practicing combat with Yang, perhaps trying to pick up girls in the bar in the other tower. She shook her head and hoped it wasn't the latter. Preoccupied as such, she nearly walked into someone coming down the steps, but was stopped by a pair of strong hands on her shoulders.
"Rydia!" Edge laughed, stopping her in her tracks. "What are you so thoughtful about? You should still pay attention to the world every now and then!"
"Oh, Edge!" Rydia gasped, caught entirely off-guard. "I'm sorry, I -- I must be more tired than I thought. I -- I was just -- heading to the balcony."
"Ah, that's where I came from," Edge replied, not moving his hands from her shoulders.
"Oh, I thought perhaps you were at the bar," Rydia said before she could stop herself.
Edge's eyebrows raised, and he released her. "No, I was simply enjoying the night air," he replied shortly. "Alone."
"Well, if you'd like to enjoy the night air again, not alone, I am heading up there now," Rydia said softly.
Edge cleared his throat. "Sure," he said.
They headed up the stairs, still a slight feel of tension between them. But when they reached the top, Rydia took a deep breath and walked across the top of the tower with outstretched arms. "Ah, air!" she exclaimed. "This is what we miss in the underground, the simple feeling of fresh air."
Edge watched her with amusement. "I never thought anyone would think air was so special," he said. "You must have air in the underground, otherwise you'd never be able to breathe."
"Well, we have air, of course," she turned back to him. "But it's not like this. It has that constant sulfuric scent because of all of the magma. There's no sun, no moon, just the glow from the magma."
"Especially living in a cave," Edge said dryly.
Rydia blushed. "True."
"You don't belong in a cave," Edge told her. "You don't even belong underground. You should be up here. With the air. And the sun and the moon and -- well -- we've got grass and oceans and all these crazy beautiful things," he teased her.
"Of course, but my home is in the Land of the Summoned Monsters," she laughed. Then she sighed. "Although I do miss all those things."
"How is it, living with monsters all the time?" asked Edge.
"I wouldn't even call them 'monsters,' it's such an unfriendly-sounding term," Rydia said defensively. "They're -- just creatures, like you and me, and all of them are so interesting! I learn every day about the different ways they act and react to things. And they are so friendly, and so loving, it's impossible not to love them back."
"But they like you," Edge said. "You're a Caller. They didn't like any other visiting humans very much, if I remember correctly. We made them uncomfortable."
"Well, yes," Rydia admitted. "But they would still welcome any friends of mine."
"Anyone who made it through the cave, at least," Edge grumbled. "That thing is like a triple-defense security system. It's worth at least ten defending Ninjas."
Rydia laughed appreciatively. "Thank goodness the Sylphs are to escort me here and back," she confessed. "I'd be terrified to go through the cave by myself."
"What, even with the heroine robe?" Edge kidded. "I hear you brought it for the ceremony?"
"Yes, only for the actual crowning of Rosa and Cecil, though," Rydia said. "I'd look a little ridiculous in armor at the wedding or the banquet, don't you think?" She laughed.
"We're walking down the aisle together, right?" Edge said.
Rydia looked at him, puzzled. "Excuse me?"
"For the wedding," Edge said. "You know, since you're the maid of honor, and I'm the best man? Or, rather, surrogate best man, I guess."
"I thought Kain was to be the best man," Rydia said.
"Oh, you didn't hear?" Edge said, surprised. "He's not coming to the wedding or the ceremony. Actually, he should be somewhere on Mt. Ordeals right now, journeying to be accepted by the light."
"Oh!" Rydia said. "I had no idea. I hope he's doing all right."
"Me too," Edge said. He confided in her, "I wanted him to take some of my men at least, but he wouldn't. He wanted to go by himself. You know him . stubborn."
"Yes, he's the only one I know who's stubborn," Rydia said mildly.
"I don't know what you're implying there," Edge said, pretending to be offended. "Besides, so what if I'm stubborn? That's why Kain and I get along so well."
"So Kain's not coming, so you were picked as second choice?" Rydia said in that same mild tone.
Edge clucked and shook his head. "You look sweet, but you've really got quite a stinger there, don't you," he joked with her. Rydia shrugged with a smile on her face.
"I think I will go to bed now," she said. "Thank you for coming up here with me, Edge."
"Thank you, Rydia," he said, and took her hand and kissed it.
Rydia once again blushed and, with an incline of her head, disappeared down the stairs.