Chapter Sixteen
As dawn broke the next morning, a small party was slowly gathering at the docks of the castle. The Tantalus ship was being fully supplied at the expense of the castle out of Garnet's gratitude for the group for their aid in Ellie's mission. Plans had been worked on and argued over well into the early morning hours, partly due to Steiner and Beatrix's inability to get along, and Ellie's demands for certain steps that would be taken with no questions asked to insure her safety. Zidane had sat across from her the whole meeting, and she refused to make eye contact with him the entire time.
Inside the castle, Beatrix approached the room where Ellie was staying and knocked on the door.
"Ellie, it's time to leave."
It was silent a moment before she answered. "I'll be right there."
"Okay," Beatrix responded, but found herself unable to move away from the door. She stared at the patterns in the wood, her thoughts swirling inside her head. She was suddenly consumed in guilt for what she had asked of this girl who wanted nothing but a normal life. A girl who was so young and putting her life in danger for a kingdom she had no obligation to. A girl who had been through so much already, and was about to embark on an even more tumultuous task.
Finally, finding her feet, Beatrix left the door and headed for the docks. She arrived as the sun was reaching over the horizon, and glanced at the group that had assembled there. She quickly noticed the absence of the person she least expected to be missing.
"Where's Zidane?"
* * *
In her room, Ellie gathered the few small things she wanted to bring with her, tossing them into a small sack. She went to the closet and pulled out her cloak when she heard a knock at the door. Before she could answer it, it opened, and she turned around to see Zidane enter and close the door behind him. They stared at each other for a moment, silence filling the room.
"What do you want?" she asked, playing with the fabric of her cloak with her fingers. He opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out. They stood there, watching each other for moments that seemed to stretch on for an eternity. Finally she broke the gaze, and turned toward her bed where her sack laid. She slung the cloak over herself and reached for the bag when he broke the silence.
"I'm sorry." He blurted out, taking a step toward her.
"It's not your fault."
"But I brought you here, and they're sending you back. I should have taken you to Lindbl-"
"It doesn't matter Zidane. I would have ended up back in Treno either way."
There was a long silence, a look of horror crossing Zidane's face.
"You're going to kill him, aren't you?" he whispered, moving closer to her. She turned to face him, her expression blank and unreadable.
"Of course not. If my only plan was to go and kill him, why bother making all those plans? Why even bother telling you I was going? I'm going to do exactly what I am being told to do, since you all think that I need to do it for some reason. Zidane, I have the worst feeling about this. This is going to be a war like no one has ever seen before. And my father and I are at the center of it. You have no idea how deep the treachery runs. . . " she whispered harshly.
"Then tell me, Ellie. Why after all these years are you keeping this from me?"
"Because I can't tell you, Zidane. I have to stop him, no matter what the cost."
Zidane stared at her, bewildered. She seemed so cold, so distant. He found himself feeling as though she was suddenly a stranger, for he saw no remnant of the kind, loving girl he once knew.
"Ellie . . . please don't leave like this." He said, his voice lower, calmer.
She looked up at him, her eyes dark.
"Nothing could prevent this." She said, shaking her head. "But it can be stopped. You just have to trust me." She said quietly, turning back towards the door.
"Ellie wait!" Zidane called out, moving to follow her.
"I'm already late," she replied, opening the door and not looking back at him. He felt his stomach lurch as he realized he may never see her again, and that he would do anything to stop her. He stumbled towards the door, and blurted out without thinking . . .
"Do you love me?"
Ellie paused in the doorway, and to his disbelief began laughing. "Zidane, of all the things to say . . . " she turned around to face him, the look on his face making her lose her words. He looked lost, confused, and desperate. She froze, utterly bewildered by this.
"This isn't the time Zidane."
"There won't be any other time."
"Are you insane?"
"Maybe," he breathed raggedly, closing the distance between them in seconds. He reached his hands up to her face and looked down into her eyes. Those eyes that had been with him through everything, all the pain for all those years. He was instantly lost in them, and suddenly found himself lowering his head to hers. He closed his eyes as their noses brushed together, and then felt her pull away from him.
"No, Zidane." She shook her head, her eyes full of pain. "I don't love you like this."
"Liar." He breathed, knowing somewhere deep in his heart that she did.
"And you don't love me like this." She said, pulling her face away from his hands. He faltered, opening his eyes to look into hers. Her face was crossed with pain as she turned back to leave.
"You love her. Don't make a stupid mistake and throw it away. I have to go." She said, leaving the room and closing the door quietly behind her. He stood there a few moments, his head hung in grief.
"What was that Zidane?" he asked himself, kicking the wall angrily. He then walked to the door and yanked it open harshly, and looked down the hall towards the docks. It was empty. She was gone.
He turned and went the opposite way, towards the south tower. He climbed the stairs quickly and went to the edge of the balcony that looked down over the whole castle. From there he could see Tantalus departing from the docks, and he looked over the deck. He could see Ellie standing at the back of the ship, her cloak and hair flying wildly in the wind. She was leaning on the railing, staring blankly at the ground as the ship slowly lifted into the air. Her face was expressionless again. Zidane whistled as loudly as he could, the sound piercing his own ears. She heard him and lifted her head from her hand, looking down to him. She could see from the ship the sadness in his eyes. They were apologizing, pleading with her to forgive him. Of course I do, Zidane...
She smiled softly and waved to him. Relief rushed through him as he waved back and watched to ship fade into the horizon.
As dawn broke the next morning, a small party was slowly gathering at the docks of the castle. The Tantalus ship was being fully supplied at the expense of the castle out of Garnet's gratitude for the group for their aid in Ellie's mission. Plans had been worked on and argued over well into the early morning hours, partly due to Steiner and Beatrix's inability to get along, and Ellie's demands for certain steps that would be taken with no questions asked to insure her safety. Zidane had sat across from her the whole meeting, and she refused to make eye contact with him the entire time.
Inside the castle, Beatrix approached the room where Ellie was staying and knocked on the door.
"Ellie, it's time to leave."
It was silent a moment before she answered. "I'll be right there."
"Okay," Beatrix responded, but found herself unable to move away from the door. She stared at the patterns in the wood, her thoughts swirling inside her head. She was suddenly consumed in guilt for what she had asked of this girl who wanted nothing but a normal life. A girl who was so young and putting her life in danger for a kingdom she had no obligation to. A girl who had been through so much already, and was about to embark on an even more tumultuous task.
Finally, finding her feet, Beatrix left the door and headed for the docks. She arrived as the sun was reaching over the horizon, and glanced at the group that had assembled there. She quickly noticed the absence of the person she least expected to be missing.
"Where's Zidane?"
* * *
In her room, Ellie gathered the few small things she wanted to bring with her, tossing them into a small sack. She went to the closet and pulled out her cloak when she heard a knock at the door. Before she could answer it, it opened, and she turned around to see Zidane enter and close the door behind him. They stared at each other for a moment, silence filling the room.
"What do you want?" she asked, playing with the fabric of her cloak with her fingers. He opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out. They stood there, watching each other for moments that seemed to stretch on for an eternity. Finally she broke the gaze, and turned toward her bed where her sack laid. She slung the cloak over herself and reached for the bag when he broke the silence.
"I'm sorry." He blurted out, taking a step toward her.
"It's not your fault."
"But I brought you here, and they're sending you back. I should have taken you to Lindbl-"
"It doesn't matter Zidane. I would have ended up back in Treno either way."
There was a long silence, a look of horror crossing Zidane's face.
"You're going to kill him, aren't you?" he whispered, moving closer to her. She turned to face him, her expression blank and unreadable.
"Of course not. If my only plan was to go and kill him, why bother making all those plans? Why even bother telling you I was going? I'm going to do exactly what I am being told to do, since you all think that I need to do it for some reason. Zidane, I have the worst feeling about this. This is going to be a war like no one has ever seen before. And my father and I are at the center of it. You have no idea how deep the treachery runs. . . " she whispered harshly.
"Then tell me, Ellie. Why after all these years are you keeping this from me?"
"Because I can't tell you, Zidane. I have to stop him, no matter what the cost."
Zidane stared at her, bewildered. She seemed so cold, so distant. He found himself feeling as though she was suddenly a stranger, for he saw no remnant of the kind, loving girl he once knew.
"Ellie . . . please don't leave like this." He said, his voice lower, calmer.
She looked up at him, her eyes dark.
"Nothing could prevent this." She said, shaking her head. "But it can be stopped. You just have to trust me." She said quietly, turning back towards the door.
"Ellie wait!" Zidane called out, moving to follow her.
"I'm already late," she replied, opening the door and not looking back at him. He felt his stomach lurch as he realized he may never see her again, and that he would do anything to stop her. He stumbled towards the door, and blurted out without thinking . . .
"Do you love me?"
Ellie paused in the doorway, and to his disbelief began laughing. "Zidane, of all the things to say . . . " she turned around to face him, the look on his face making her lose her words. He looked lost, confused, and desperate. She froze, utterly bewildered by this.
"This isn't the time Zidane."
"There won't be any other time."
"Are you insane?"
"Maybe," he breathed raggedly, closing the distance between them in seconds. He reached his hands up to her face and looked down into her eyes. Those eyes that had been with him through everything, all the pain for all those years. He was instantly lost in them, and suddenly found himself lowering his head to hers. He closed his eyes as their noses brushed together, and then felt her pull away from him.
"No, Zidane." She shook her head, her eyes full of pain. "I don't love you like this."
"Liar." He breathed, knowing somewhere deep in his heart that she did.
"And you don't love me like this." She said, pulling her face away from his hands. He faltered, opening his eyes to look into hers. Her face was crossed with pain as she turned back to leave.
"You love her. Don't make a stupid mistake and throw it away. I have to go." She said, leaving the room and closing the door quietly behind her. He stood there a few moments, his head hung in grief.
"What was that Zidane?" he asked himself, kicking the wall angrily. He then walked to the door and yanked it open harshly, and looked down the hall towards the docks. It was empty. She was gone.
He turned and went the opposite way, towards the south tower. He climbed the stairs quickly and went to the edge of the balcony that looked down over the whole castle. From there he could see Tantalus departing from the docks, and he looked over the deck. He could see Ellie standing at the back of the ship, her cloak and hair flying wildly in the wind. She was leaning on the railing, staring blankly at the ground as the ship slowly lifted into the air. Her face was expressionless again. Zidane whistled as loudly as he could, the sound piercing his own ears. She heard him and lifted her head from her hand, looking down to him. She could see from the ship the sadness in his eyes. They were apologizing, pleading with her to forgive him. Of course I do, Zidane...
She smiled softly and waved to him. Relief rushed through him as he waved back and watched to ship fade into the horizon.