Sorry it took me a while to post this. You see, my laptop refused to
connect to the internet service... and both my floppy disk and CD drive don't
seem to be functioning, so there was no way for me post this chapter
sooner... but look on the brighter side, I'm gonna give you four chapters all
at once!
Thanks for reviewing!
Now, Xmaster, I wasn't asking you but I would be honored if you would draw my characters for me... To be honest, I was actually surprised that you would even consider going through all that trouble for me... Thanks so much for offering to draw for me. It would make me absolutely happy if you would!!! Also, did you really lose your eye and your arm????
Also, DUDE (bao-chan), thanks loads for drawing the characters for me already... Like whenever their ready I'll post them somewhere... (sighs from thinking about all the work)
Well, I hope you all like this chapter, personally I find it does very little for the story, but it will pick up in the next installment... I think.
CHAPTER 8
It was half-past midnight. The moon was on its way to its first quarter. The night sky was filled with stars and the sea breeze was vicious still. The air was salty from the sea and slightly humid as well. The hamlet of Djose, which was no more than a temple and an inn, was silent. Only the occasional footsteps of a patrolling Crusader or that of an insomniac priest could be heard. On the farthest bridge from the temple though, there were whispers, barely audible from a far.
"Shouldn't you be sleeping Lord Summoner?" suggested Elohim as he took his place beside the brooding Landien. "And shouldn't you be watching your charge, Steward?" retorted the black-haired man amiably. The taller man grinned at this. "We are neglecting our duties then, aren't we?" responded the silver-haired valet. The summoner giggled at this, which made the manservant's smile grow wider.
"You speak as though you are the elder here," began Landien cautiously, afraid that he might provoke the other man. But Elohim seemed only slightly surprised by this. "But you aren't, are you?" he finished, looking to the man beside him for an cordial answer. 'I hope he is not offended...' prayed the summoner silently. Since they arrived at Djose, Landien had been thinking about many things. He had thought about the grim events at Kilika, the lucky circumstances at Mushroom Rock, his death and among other things, the look he had seen in Elohim's eyes earlier that day.
"That is right, Lord Summoner." Replied Elohim melancholically. "But I know things that a boy of seventeen should not need to know." He elaborated dramatically, his eyes meeting Landien's ardent gaze. "We are similar that way, aren't we?" implied the younger man. "Yes we are." Agreed the summoner.
...
It was a bright day in Djose. The sun had risen about four hours ago. It would be three more hours until midday. The temple was already bustling with activity; pilgrims from the north were making their obligatory stop at this hamlet.
"Where is she, Elohim?" exclaimed Olin, grabbing the manservant by the collar desperately. "Who is she, my Lord?" implored the taller man as he pried his Master's hands away from his neck. "My Goddess, who else?" roared the browned hair man, who wore only his nightshirt, as he threw his arms up in frustration. "She was there yesterday, dressed in white..." he explained, his eyes brimming with rapture.
The valet raised an eyebrow at this. "Does she have blonde hair and amethyst eyes?" he asked rather skeptically. "Yes! That is my Goddess." rejoiced Olin as he took Elohim's hands and planted a kiss on each of them. This shocked the silver-haired one for it was a sign of reverence and affection that a servant seldom received. "You mean Lydia, my Lord." He indicated as he looked into his master's eyes.
"Lydia! That is my goddess' name!" reveled Olin, as jumped up and down in jubilation. "Lydia! Lydia! Lydia!" he shouted as he began to search his room at the inn for the blue Besaid cloak. "Where is my beloved?" he inquired as he tossed items of clothing about, looking frantically for the precious cloak. "She is still in the Chamber of the Fayth." Replied Elohim as he picked up stray clothes. "The Chamber of the Fayth?" inquired a skeptical Olin as he paused to listen for Elohim's reply. "She is one of Lord Summoner Landien's guardians." Clarified the valet as he handed a robe to his practically naked master.
"A Guardian?" questioned Olin unbelievingly. "Yes, my Lord, she is a guardian." He repeated. 'A guardian... who would have thought?' ruminated the merchant as he stuffed his arms into the robe. Some of the questions he had asked himself about her were answered, but even more queries popped into his head.
"My Lord, what are looking for?" asked Elohim, disturbing his charge's chain of thought. "A cloak... a blue cloak from Besaid." Answered Olin distractedly as he resumed his search for Lydia's cloak. "You mean the one you carry in your pack?" clarified the valet, his eyebrows furrowing.
"Yes! That's the one." He exclaimed with a sigh of relief. "I believe it was left behind at Mushroom Rock." Said the manservant softly, afraid of his master's reaction. Olin's eyes enlarged in shock. "What!" he exclaimed angrily.
...
Lydia and Ilised had only waited for less than an hour before Landien emerged from the Chamber of the Fayth. Only a fine sheen of sweat glazed his forehead and he seemed only a tad bit tired. "Are you all right?" asked Lydia as she took her older brother's hand. "Yes, I'm perfectly fine." He replied gratefully. "Nothing happened?" pressed Ilised as he placed a comforting hand on the younger man's shoulder. "Nothing at all." Replied the summoner, smiling at the thought. "Good." Said the guardians in unison, clearly relieved at this.
The young Summoner was very much relieved as well. He was truly glad that no incident occurred this time. This absence of any conundrum was truly appreciated. Landien only hoped that this would last until the end of his Pilgrimage. But as the trio exited the temple, the Summoner's wish would not be granted.
-...-
"Are you sure that this Lydia you speak of is my Goddess?" inquired Olin nervously as his caravan awaited the return of the Summoner and his guardians from the Cloister of Trials. "I am pretty certain, my Lord. I don't think there was anyone else dressed in white yesterday at Mushroom Rock. "Good, very good." Stammered the older man as he began to pace about. 'I wish they'd come out sooner...' implored Olin. From what his valet had told him, they should be coming out by now for the rocks encasing the temple were already in their dormant state. Only minutes ago, these stones were hovering around the sacred structure, a sign that a Summoner was addressing the Fayth.
As he thought this, his Goddess exited the doors of the temple. Her beautiful blonde hair was down and tied back away from her face. She still wore the willowy, white dress and leather bodice from the other day. The sight of her made Olin speechless, his voice was lost to him. His mind was in shambles, he could not think straight; all his praises were at the tip of his tongue and could not be expressed.
"I see you are doing better, Lord Odevaker." Greeted a black haired man with a most unusual scar. "Yes, I am." Said Olin distractedly for his eyes were locked on the vision of his Goddess. "This is the Summoner who helped you, my Lord." Stated Elohim as he gestured toward the scarred man. "His name is Landien," introduced the valet as the Summoner bowed to him. "And these are his guardians, Ilised and Lydia." He continued as a tall, blonde man and his goddess bowed to him.
Olin's heart was racing with exhilaration. He felt light-heated and thought he could do anything. But he did not have mettle to tell his goddess his feelings for her. 'Oh, what am I to do?' he pondered, not wanting to leave his goddess' company. 'Please tell me what to do...' he implored silently, his eyes locked on Lydia. Then a thought came to him.
"Please accept in gratitude my offer to escort you to your next stop." Stammered Olin quickly, his eyes never leaving Lydia. She seemed honestly glad when she heard this, a lovely smile played on her lips and her eyes shone with expectation. 'I'd wish you'd look at me...' hoped the brown-haired merchant, but his beautiful goddess' eyes were looking at something to his right. "We would be honored, Sir." Replied Landien as he bowed once more to the older man.
NOTES:
The timeline (Yuna – Landien):
Tournament is over, resting in Luca – Djose heading towards the Moonflow and then Bevelle
Thanks for reviewing!
Now, Xmaster, I wasn't asking you but I would be honored if you would draw my characters for me... To be honest, I was actually surprised that you would even consider going through all that trouble for me... Thanks so much for offering to draw for me. It would make me absolutely happy if you would!!! Also, did you really lose your eye and your arm????
Also, DUDE (bao-chan), thanks loads for drawing the characters for me already... Like whenever their ready I'll post them somewhere... (sighs from thinking about all the work)
Well, I hope you all like this chapter, personally I find it does very little for the story, but it will pick up in the next installment... I think.
CHAPTER 8
It was half-past midnight. The moon was on its way to its first quarter. The night sky was filled with stars and the sea breeze was vicious still. The air was salty from the sea and slightly humid as well. The hamlet of Djose, which was no more than a temple and an inn, was silent. Only the occasional footsteps of a patrolling Crusader or that of an insomniac priest could be heard. On the farthest bridge from the temple though, there were whispers, barely audible from a far.
"Shouldn't you be sleeping Lord Summoner?" suggested Elohim as he took his place beside the brooding Landien. "And shouldn't you be watching your charge, Steward?" retorted the black-haired man amiably. The taller man grinned at this. "We are neglecting our duties then, aren't we?" responded the silver-haired valet. The summoner giggled at this, which made the manservant's smile grow wider.
"You speak as though you are the elder here," began Landien cautiously, afraid that he might provoke the other man. But Elohim seemed only slightly surprised by this. "But you aren't, are you?" he finished, looking to the man beside him for an cordial answer. 'I hope he is not offended...' prayed the summoner silently. Since they arrived at Djose, Landien had been thinking about many things. He had thought about the grim events at Kilika, the lucky circumstances at Mushroom Rock, his death and among other things, the look he had seen in Elohim's eyes earlier that day.
"That is right, Lord Summoner." Replied Elohim melancholically. "But I know things that a boy of seventeen should not need to know." He elaborated dramatically, his eyes meeting Landien's ardent gaze. "We are similar that way, aren't we?" implied the younger man. "Yes we are." Agreed the summoner.
...
It was a bright day in Djose. The sun had risen about four hours ago. It would be three more hours until midday. The temple was already bustling with activity; pilgrims from the north were making their obligatory stop at this hamlet.
"Where is she, Elohim?" exclaimed Olin, grabbing the manservant by the collar desperately. "Who is she, my Lord?" implored the taller man as he pried his Master's hands away from his neck. "My Goddess, who else?" roared the browned hair man, who wore only his nightshirt, as he threw his arms up in frustration. "She was there yesterday, dressed in white..." he explained, his eyes brimming with rapture.
The valet raised an eyebrow at this. "Does she have blonde hair and amethyst eyes?" he asked rather skeptically. "Yes! That is my Goddess." rejoiced Olin as he took Elohim's hands and planted a kiss on each of them. This shocked the silver-haired one for it was a sign of reverence and affection that a servant seldom received. "You mean Lydia, my Lord." He indicated as he looked into his master's eyes.
"Lydia! That is my goddess' name!" reveled Olin, as jumped up and down in jubilation. "Lydia! Lydia! Lydia!" he shouted as he began to search his room at the inn for the blue Besaid cloak. "Where is my beloved?" he inquired as he tossed items of clothing about, looking frantically for the precious cloak. "She is still in the Chamber of the Fayth." Replied Elohim as he picked up stray clothes. "The Chamber of the Fayth?" inquired a skeptical Olin as he paused to listen for Elohim's reply. "She is one of Lord Summoner Landien's guardians." Clarified the valet as he handed a robe to his practically naked master.
"A Guardian?" questioned Olin unbelievingly. "Yes, my Lord, she is a guardian." He repeated. 'A guardian... who would have thought?' ruminated the merchant as he stuffed his arms into the robe. Some of the questions he had asked himself about her were answered, but even more queries popped into his head.
"My Lord, what are looking for?" asked Elohim, disturbing his charge's chain of thought. "A cloak... a blue cloak from Besaid." Answered Olin distractedly as he resumed his search for Lydia's cloak. "You mean the one you carry in your pack?" clarified the valet, his eyebrows furrowing.
"Yes! That's the one." He exclaimed with a sigh of relief. "I believe it was left behind at Mushroom Rock." Said the manservant softly, afraid of his master's reaction. Olin's eyes enlarged in shock. "What!" he exclaimed angrily.
...
Lydia and Ilised had only waited for less than an hour before Landien emerged from the Chamber of the Fayth. Only a fine sheen of sweat glazed his forehead and he seemed only a tad bit tired. "Are you all right?" asked Lydia as she took her older brother's hand. "Yes, I'm perfectly fine." He replied gratefully. "Nothing happened?" pressed Ilised as he placed a comforting hand on the younger man's shoulder. "Nothing at all." Replied the summoner, smiling at the thought. "Good." Said the guardians in unison, clearly relieved at this.
The young Summoner was very much relieved as well. He was truly glad that no incident occurred this time. This absence of any conundrum was truly appreciated. Landien only hoped that this would last until the end of his Pilgrimage. But as the trio exited the temple, the Summoner's wish would not be granted.
-...-
"Are you sure that this Lydia you speak of is my Goddess?" inquired Olin nervously as his caravan awaited the return of the Summoner and his guardians from the Cloister of Trials. "I am pretty certain, my Lord. I don't think there was anyone else dressed in white yesterday at Mushroom Rock. "Good, very good." Stammered the older man as he began to pace about. 'I wish they'd come out sooner...' implored Olin. From what his valet had told him, they should be coming out by now for the rocks encasing the temple were already in their dormant state. Only minutes ago, these stones were hovering around the sacred structure, a sign that a Summoner was addressing the Fayth.
As he thought this, his Goddess exited the doors of the temple. Her beautiful blonde hair was down and tied back away from her face. She still wore the willowy, white dress and leather bodice from the other day. The sight of her made Olin speechless, his voice was lost to him. His mind was in shambles, he could not think straight; all his praises were at the tip of his tongue and could not be expressed.
"I see you are doing better, Lord Odevaker." Greeted a black haired man with a most unusual scar. "Yes, I am." Said Olin distractedly for his eyes were locked on the vision of his Goddess. "This is the Summoner who helped you, my Lord." Stated Elohim as he gestured toward the scarred man. "His name is Landien," introduced the valet as the Summoner bowed to him. "And these are his guardians, Ilised and Lydia." He continued as a tall, blonde man and his goddess bowed to him.
Olin's heart was racing with exhilaration. He felt light-heated and thought he could do anything. But he did not have mettle to tell his goddess his feelings for her. 'Oh, what am I to do?' he pondered, not wanting to leave his goddess' company. 'Please tell me what to do...' he implored silently, his eyes locked on Lydia. Then a thought came to him.
"Please accept in gratitude my offer to escort you to your next stop." Stammered Olin quickly, his eyes never leaving Lydia. She seemed honestly glad when she heard this, a lovely smile played on her lips and her eyes shone with expectation. 'I'd wish you'd look at me...' hoped the brown-haired merchant, but his beautiful goddess' eyes were looking at something to his right. "We would be honored, Sir." Replied Landien as he bowed once more to the older man.
NOTES:
The timeline (Yuna – Landien):
Tournament is over, resting in Luca – Djose heading towards the Moonflow and then Bevelle