Author's Notes: NOOOOOO! I caved... cry cry cry I know you are out there
people who read. I've checked. Three of you get e-mails when I update. WHY
DON' YOU EVER REVIEW!? I should end the story now and make you all
suffer.....
But you know I can't do that. sigh I hate you all.
Silver-nex: You at least I still love.
PatchLover08: Thank you.... hug You made me happy. You are better than all the other but Silver.
Chapter 15: Mercale
As my eyes adjusted to the light, I stumbled into the room. A woman stood before me, tall as I, with a commanding presence. Basic brown cotton slacks and a cream colored blouse she wore, and in one moment she was young and old all at once. Brown hair was tied back loosely by a leather cord. Eyes, both half gold and half gray peer at me as the woman gestures for me to follow her. Gracefully she led me into a large room. I was seated in a beautifully carved oak chair and given a golden cup of honeyed wine.
"Who are you?" I asked of the beauty.
The woman, or was she still a girl, smiled and held out a hand to take the cup back not that I was done with it. The other hand held out a bowl of some type of stew. Gladly I took the carved wooden bowl and began to eat the meaty stew. While I ate, I took a bearing of where I was. A cave, cut like a rotunda. Around the rounded sides were many doors, each with a set of runes. The one I had come from had a rune that I recognized, an ancient symbol for Ifrit. Another near it bore what had to be Shiva's symbol.
The female opened that door now. "I knew he would make it," her silky voice comforted whoever was there.
It hit me then, and I panicked, "Squall!"
With care I ran to his side and took him up in my arms, unwilling to look back at the scene. Silently the maiden, or lady, led me to a place, a cot, maybe hers, and directed me to place Squall upon it. When I'd done this, I turned to look at her. There were calluses all over her otherwise unmarked and silky palms and hands. She handled rough tools... This was the one we looked for all this time.
"Yes Seifer Almasy. I am the famed weapon smith Mercale. Crysil Angelus Mercale. Over the years I've been known as only Mercale. But by Griever and Tiamat I am Merc," the lady spoke softly.
"Then you can lift the curse?"
We can speak of that later. He needs a bit of help. You can look around while I tend to him," the woman said.
Though I really wanted to stay by his side, I was drawn to explore this place. As Mercale woke Squall and fed him, I found myself drawn through a runeless door. The cavern within was far rougher than the main cave. Yet this room was no less beautiful than its predecessor. This had to be Mercale's room. A stone table held many sketches upon it, some charcoal, others pencil. Most were of weapons, even my Hyperion and Squall's Lion Heart, but the others were sketches of GFs, one of each. Two I'd never seen before were upon the wall. Slowly I moved to one, lighter than the one beside it.
"Seifer! Come away from that!" a harsh voice comes from behind me.
I turn to meet Mercale's eyes. Quickly I avert my gaze. Now my eyes fail upon a painting in the corner. It was of a man, with soft features and gentle brown eyes. Before I could question Mercale, she forced the frame this painting was in down, hiding it.
"You're far to curious... Come... Squall is better, it is time to talk."
"About what?"
"My past, your future and out present."
{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}
"So you are Mercale? I expected you to be..."
"More male?" Mercale asked Squall, chuckling.
"Yes," my lion admitted.
"Well... As you can see, I'm not. I am very much a woman as you are vry much my descendants."
"Shesh," I grumbled, "Must I always hear a statement similar to that from strangers?"
"Squall and Mercale both glared at me, and I shied away.
Moment later the three of us were looking over a scroll Crysil had laid out. More than half was still blank, but small, gracefully rounded letters covered the rest. It was a family tree, highly detailed at that. Several lines of the blood had come to an end, but about four of the names at the bottom caught my eyes. Squall Loire-Leonheart, Ellone Tiran, Quistus Trepe, and Seifer Almasy. Each name was the end of a different family, and the four fif not merge until about 14 generations ago. But one of the names at the beginning was Crysil Mercale. According to this, she was born in 310 A.D. and both Squall and I know that the current year was close to 5379 A.D. This youthful woman before us, our ancestor according to this, was over 5000 years old!
"How?" Squall asked.
"That is to be explained in the morning. It gets late. I will go prepare you a room and beds my dearest descendants," Mercale said, slipping down a corridor.
I continued to stare at the family tree, noting others we were related to. Had to admit my surprise at Quistus being a distant cousin of ours, I was amazed at that. Now I notice something odd. By certain names there were runes, ancient ones. By my great-great-great-great-grandfather was the symbol of Diablos. By Laguna's great-grandmother's grandmother was Siren's. Two runs I did not know were by me and Squall's names, which made me shiver. Squall pulled me away from the scroll, shaking his head. My love was as confused as I. we'd have to wait till Crysil chose to explain this all. Yet now I see confusion in Squall's eyes.
"Seifer..." he said, voice low and foreboding.
"She told you something?"
"Yes... he's learned that you and he would have a child in the future. Now... Your beds are prepared. Take comfort in knowing that when you fall asleep, you'll forget these last words. One day they'll give you a purpose and you'll use sorceress magic to have a child of both your bloods. Like yourselves, he'll be a great hero... Now... for bed," the soft voice of the lady said from the corridor she'd went down.
But you know I can't do that. sigh I hate you all.
Silver-nex: You at least I still love.
PatchLover08: Thank you.... hug You made me happy. You are better than all the other but Silver.
Chapter 15: Mercale
As my eyes adjusted to the light, I stumbled into the room. A woman stood before me, tall as I, with a commanding presence. Basic brown cotton slacks and a cream colored blouse she wore, and in one moment she was young and old all at once. Brown hair was tied back loosely by a leather cord. Eyes, both half gold and half gray peer at me as the woman gestures for me to follow her. Gracefully she led me into a large room. I was seated in a beautifully carved oak chair and given a golden cup of honeyed wine.
"Who are you?" I asked of the beauty.
The woman, or was she still a girl, smiled and held out a hand to take the cup back not that I was done with it. The other hand held out a bowl of some type of stew. Gladly I took the carved wooden bowl and began to eat the meaty stew. While I ate, I took a bearing of where I was. A cave, cut like a rotunda. Around the rounded sides were many doors, each with a set of runes. The one I had come from had a rune that I recognized, an ancient symbol for Ifrit. Another near it bore what had to be Shiva's symbol.
The female opened that door now. "I knew he would make it," her silky voice comforted whoever was there.
It hit me then, and I panicked, "Squall!"
With care I ran to his side and took him up in my arms, unwilling to look back at the scene. Silently the maiden, or lady, led me to a place, a cot, maybe hers, and directed me to place Squall upon it. When I'd done this, I turned to look at her. There were calluses all over her otherwise unmarked and silky palms and hands. She handled rough tools... This was the one we looked for all this time.
"Yes Seifer Almasy. I am the famed weapon smith Mercale. Crysil Angelus Mercale. Over the years I've been known as only Mercale. But by Griever and Tiamat I am Merc," the lady spoke softly.
"Then you can lift the curse?"
We can speak of that later. He needs a bit of help. You can look around while I tend to him," the woman said.
Though I really wanted to stay by his side, I was drawn to explore this place. As Mercale woke Squall and fed him, I found myself drawn through a runeless door. The cavern within was far rougher than the main cave. Yet this room was no less beautiful than its predecessor. This had to be Mercale's room. A stone table held many sketches upon it, some charcoal, others pencil. Most were of weapons, even my Hyperion and Squall's Lion Heart, but the others were sketches of GFs, one of each. Two I'd never seen before were upon the wall. Slowly I moved to one, lighter than the one beside it.
"Seifer! Come away from that!" a harsh voice comes from behind me.
I turn to meet Mercale's eyes. Quickly I avert my gaze. Now my eyes fail upon a painting in the corner. It was of a man, with soft features and gentle brown eyes. Before I could question Mercale, she forced the frame this painting was in down, hiding it.
"You're far to curious... Come... Squall is better, it is time to talk."
"About what?"
"My past, your future and out present."
{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}
"So you are Mercale? I expected you to be..."
"More male?" Mercale asked Squall, chuckling.
"Yes," my lion admitted.
"Well... As you can see, I'm not. I am very much a woman as you are vry much my descendants."
"Shesh," I grumbled, "Must I always hear a statement similar to that from strangers?"
"Squall and Mercale both glared at me, and I shied away.
Moment later the three of us were looking over a scroll Crysil had laid out. More than half was still blank, but small, gracefully rounded letters covered the rest. It was a family tree, highly detailed at that. Several lines of the blood had come to an end, but about four of the names at the bottom caught my eyes. Squall Loire-Leonheart, Ellone Tiran, Quistus Trepe, and Seifer Almasy. Each name was the end of a different family, and the four fif not merge until about 14 generations ago. But one of the names at the beginning was Crysil Mercale. According to this, she was born in 310 A.D. and both Squall and I know that the current year was close to 5379 A.D. This youthful woman before us, our ancestor according to this, was over 5000 years old!
"How?" Squall asked.
"That is to be explained in the morning. It gets late. I will go prepare you a room and beds my dearest descendants," Mercale said, slipping down a corridor.
I continued to stare at the family tree, noting others we were related to. Had to admit my surprise at Quistus being a distant cousin of ours, I was amazed at that. Now I notice something odd. By certain names there were runes, ancient ones. By my great-great-great-great-grandfather was the symbol of Diablos. By Laguna's great-grandmother's grandmother was Siren's. Two runs I did not know were by me and Squall's names, which made me shiver. Squall pulled me away from the scroll, shaking his head. My love was as confused as I. we'd have to wait till Crysil chose to explain this all. Yet now I see confusion in Squall's eyes.
"Seifer..." he said, voice low and foreboding.
"She told you something?"
"Yes... he's learned that you and he would have a child in the future. Now... Your beds are prepared. Take comfort in knowing that when you fall asleep, you'll forget these last words. One day they'll give you a purpose and you'll use sorceress magic to have a child of both your bloods. Like yourselves, he'll be a great hero... Now... for bed," the soft voice of the lady said from the corridor she'd went down.