Chapter Twenty-two
Three Days Later; Lindblum; Dragon's Gate; Dawn
She was exhausted.
Rose slowly approached the massive Dragon's Gate. She was exhausted from having run for hours without rest. Her body ached from the abuse she had received for arguing. She wanted to rest, but she had to speak with Freya. After being beaten for secretly finding her location and arguing with Ebon, she felt she had a right to speak with the Dragon Warrior.
Apparently the Lindblum guards had the same idea. They didn't bar her way when she approached. They didn't ask any questions or probe her. They simply stepped aside and allowed her to make her way into the city.
Rose slowly made her way to the aircab station. The pilot smiled, though Rose had nothing to smile about.
"Where to?" the pilot asked.
"The Castle, please," Rose said with fatigue.
"Castle!" the pilot shouted out the aircab.
Rose didn't even blink when the aircab lurched and headed toward the Castle. She had ridden on them before, when Burmecia had been attacked. She had stayed at Lindblum with Aireff and the others. Now, she was alone. She didn't even know if Freya would be able to listen.
The aircab came to a stop, and with a quick "Thank you" Rose left the aircab. She rushed as quickly as her tired legs would take her through the castle. Soon, a guard stopped her.
"Where do you wish to go?" the guard asked.
"I am Rose, Dragon Warrior of Burmecia. I wish to see Freya, former Dragon Warrior," Rose said.
The guard looked surprised to see a Dragon Warrior, particularly a female Warrior with graying hair, and gray fur at the mouth. He did bow, however.
"Follow me, Lady," he said.
The guard headed off, and Rose followed swiftly. The two headed down a hallway. The guard then motioned to a door. Rose walked over to the door. She placed the back of her hand against it and rattled her fingers.
The door opened in two seconds, and Freya stared at Rose with some surprise.
"What are you doing here?" Freya asked.
"Trouble," Rose replied. "May I come in?"
"Sure. Just beware of the two men," Freya said.
"Ha ha," Meander said from inside the room.
Rose entered the room quietly to find two male humans playing cards. Freya had clearly not been playing with them, but instead watching.
"Who are you?" Rose asked.
"Meander," Meander grunted. "And Mr. Silence is Amarant."
Amarant said nothing. Rose's eyes narrowed.
"Meander?" she spat.
"I didn't kill anyone, I swear it," Meander immediately said.
"You killed Eroy," Rose spat.
"No I didn't," Meander replied. "That was Julius."
"What?"
Everyone looked over at Freya, who was staring wide-eyed at Meander. She looked shocked. Rose frowned, while Meander looked confused.
"What?" he asked.
"Did you say that Julius killed Eroy?" Freya asked quietly.
"Yes," Meander replied.
There was a long silence. Rose finally broke it.
"Trouble is brewing in Burmecia. We need you back home," Rose told Freya.
"I've been banned," Freya replied.
"Do you think I don't know that? I know you've been banned! But I don't give a shit! Mysterious murders are rising up! Ebon doesn't care! Construction is slowing! Everyone is saying it's because the two Dragon Warriors left! They're saying that if a Dragon Warrior returns, everything will be all right! Freya, they want you! They want you to return order! They believe you're the only one who can stop it all! We want you to come back, God-damn it!" Rose screamed.
Everyone was silent with shock. Meander shook his head and continued with the card game. Amarant did as well. Freya and Rose stared at each other.
"Are you saying they want me back?" Freya asked.
"DAMN IT! Freya, were you listening? Did I get caught and beaten by God-damn Ebon just to find out you turned into an idiot?" Rose screamed angrily.
Freya only stared with shock. Her eyes then narrowed.
"He beat you?" Freya asked.
"Yes," Rose said with a snort. "And he said that if I dared go to you it'd be a banning for me next. And he said you'll be killed if you return."
"Killed? Freya, you said you'd only get the dungeon!" Amarant snapped, jerking his head in the direction of Freya and Rose.
Freya was clearly thinking things over. She then smiled.
"Killed? Well, this is what I say to Ebon: His threats aren't working, because I'm coming back," Freya told Rose.
Rose's features lit up with a smile. "Seriously? Would you like me to tell him that?"
"No! Oh God, no! Don't go back there!" Freya immediately protested. "Too dangerous, too dangerous! God, I never thought home would be too dangerous! Please, go to Alexandria. It's safer and -"
"And Fratley's there," Amarant said before Freya could say anything.
"What?" Freya asked.
"Why isn't he here?" Rose asked.
"I got a letter," Amarant snorted. "He's in a coma. But he's alive in that sense."
Freya only gawked at Amarant. Rose nodded, eyes lowered.
"All right," Rose said. She looked up at Freya. "I'll go."
"There," Freya said, looking over at the older woman. "If you go to Burmecia, I'll kill you if Ebon doesn't first."
Rose smirked. "You're not my mother."
"No, I'm not. But I care about you, and I don't want you to go to Burmecia. Fratley would tell you the same thing. So would Aireff," Freya continued.
"Aireff is back at Burmecia," Rose protested.
"But he's a man! He's not a woman! He doesn't have to worry about the COL or Ebon!"
Rose sighed. "You can't convince me."
"I've figured that out. I can only beg."
Rose sighed and gave Freya a quick hug. "See you later."
Rose quietly left the room. Freya sighed with exasperation.
"Every rose has thorns," Freya said. "And Rose has more than enough of them."
"I can't believe you're suddenly dying to go back to Burmecia," Amarant said. "I mean, it's dangerous. Shouldn't you -"
"Look, I'm going back to Burmecia, and you're not changing my mind!" Freya snarled.
Amarant didn't fight back or snarl. He only smirked.
"That's exactly the type of attitude I want to see!" Amarant announced triumphantly.
"I don't need an army to come with me to Burmecia! Jeez!"
Trying to convince Lindblum of that was the trick. Freya looked at all the people who were willing to come with her. She sighed.
"All right, fine, I'll take Amarant, Eiko, Dominic, and Meander," Freya said.
It took her a few seconds to figure out whom she had chosen. She then groaned.
"Oh no. Can I re-choose?" she asked.
"Nope!" Meander said happily.
"Crap," Freya muttered.
"Must Eiko come?" Amarant asked.
"Yes, she must. She'll be the only girl besides me. Yes, she must come!" Freya retorted.
"Darn," Amarant muttered.
"Hey, you could always not go," Freya offered hopefully.
"And let you get yourself blinded or something? No," Amarant replied. "I'll go get ready."
Amarant left the dining room. Eiko was nearly bouncing off the walls with joy. Meander was all smiles. Dominic was also smiling, though his smile was sympathetic.
"God, Freya, do you know what you've gotten yourself into?" he asked.
"I don't know even half of it, do I?" Freya asked.
"No," Dominic replied. "You don't."
Eiko rushed out of the room, Dominic following. Meander's smile became a smirk.
"God, you're in for quite the trip," Meander said, grinning.
"You remind of a vampire. Go away, leave me to sulk," Freya groaned.
Meander chuckled and left.
A few hours later, everyone was as ready as they could be. Amarant had bought a few warp scrolls and a Heavy Lance for Freya ("Your Belated Christmas present"). Meander had his pack stuffed with literally everything he would need. Eiko had a small sack and two moogles with her. Dominic had a small pack full of food. Freya had nothing at all but the clothes on her back and the Lance Amarant bought her.
"All right, if you're ready, shout 'here'," Freya said absentmindedly.
"HERE!" everyone shouted.
"Shit, not so loud!" Freya replied.
"Hey, you told us to shout," Meander said with a shrug.
"And you said you were in charge," Amarant pointed out.
"All right, all right, all right! Look, let's just get moving!" Freya replied.
"And we're off!" Meander shouted, running out the door. Amarant followed at a slower pace.
Dominic smiled sympathetically at Freya. He then left. Eiko was giggling uncontrollably. Freya sighed and walked over to Eiko.
"Please answer this question. What have I gotten myself into?" Freya asked.
Eiko stopped giggling long enough to answer.
"Quite the adventure."
The group quickly left Lindblum. When outside, Freya sighed with relief. It was nice to actually be outside and with fresh air.
"Are we going to get moving?" Amarant asked.
"Maybe," Freya replied. "I'm in charge. I say when we go."
"I'm hungry," Meander commented. "I'm going to go hunt, okay?"
"Uh, well, all right," Freya replied, clearly confused.
"Awesome," Meander said. He licked his lips and headed off with no weapons.
"I don't want to know how he's going to hunt," Freya commented.
"Well, I guess we're stuck here until he gets back," Amarant grunted.
"We need a plan anyway," Dominic said. "Julius is no doubt going to try and nail us while we're on the move. I say that someone holds watch each night, except Freya."
"And why not me?" Freya asked.
"Because you're the one Julius wants. If you get attacked, you won't scream. You'll be killed. No, we're not going to allow you to watch," Dominic said.
Freya snorted, but said nothing.
"All right. Now, if Julius attacks while you're on watch, do something to wake us up," Dominic said.
"Can we step on you?" Amarant asked.
"Anything," Dominic said. "Do anything."
Amarant grinned.
"All right. I say we don't stop often. Only at night. I'm sure we can survive on low rations?" Dominic asked.
"I can cook a lot in five minutes," Freya said. "Easily."
"You're the chef then," Amarant said.
"Damn it," Freya muttered.
"I can help!" Eiko chirped.
There was a long silence. Apparently no one wanted Eiko to help.
"All right," Dominic said. "I think we're okay for now."
"Meander's back," Amarant commented. "He caught a rabbit."
"A rabbit?" Freya asked.
"Yeah," Amarant said. He then raised his voice. "We're not hungry, Meander. Not after what you did to it."
"All the more for me, then," Meander said.
Everyone looked over at the rabbit Meander held, and they quickly turned away.
"You're right, Amarant," Freya said. "We definitely aren't hungry anymore."
"It's just a little bloodied," Meander said.
"A little bloodied and torn to pieces," Freya replied.
"Same thing as if it were cooked," Meander pointed out.
"Yeah, except your teeth were on it."
"How'd you know?"
"Teeth marks."
"Heh. Want to try some?"
"I cook my food, Meander."
"Oh well."
Meander sat down and began to eat the rabbit. Freya sighed.
"As soon as he's done with his little snack we'll go," Freya told everyone.
Everyone nodded, except Meander, who was too busy eating.
Within five minutes, they were on the move. And as she walked away from Lindblum with her new team, Freya had an odd feeling something was watching them.
------- Sorry about long update. Anyway, Freya's finally on the move =) We're going to actually get somewhere *gasps*
I'm still not done with the Let Fear Propel You Forward chapter. I haven't had much time to write. I'll try to catch up, I promise!
This story is copyright to me. Some characters, locations, and Gaia in general are copyright to SquareEnix.
Three Days Later; Lindblum; Dragon's Gate; Dawn
She was exhausted.
Rose slowly approached the massive Dragon's Gate. She was exhausted from having run for hours without rest. Her body ached from the abuse she had received for arguing. She wanted to rest, but she had to speak with Freya. After being beaten for secretly finding her location and arguing with Ebon, she felt she had a right to speak with the Dragon Warrior.
Apparently the Lindblum guards had the same idea. They didn't bar her way when she approached. They didn't ask any questions or probe her. They simply stepped aside and allowed her to make her way into the city.
Rose slowly made her way to the aircab station. The pilot smiled, though Rose had nothing to smile about.
"Where to?" the pilot asked.
"The Castle, please," Rose said with fatigue.
"Castle!" the pilot shouted out the aircab.
Rose didn't even blink when the aircab lurched and headed toward the Castle. She had ridden on them before, when Burmecia had been attacked. She had stayed at Lindblum with Aireff and the others. Now, she was alone. She didn't even know if Freya would be able to listen.
The aircab came to a stop, and with a quick "Thank you" Rose left the aircab. She rushed as quickly as her tired legs would take her through the castle. Soon, a guard stopped her.
"Where do you wish to go?" the guard asked.
"I am Rose, Dragon Warrior of Burmecia. I wish to see Freya, former Dragon Warrior," Rose said.
The guard looked surprised to see a Dragon Warrior, particularly a female Warrior with graying hair, and gray fur at the mouth. He did bow, however.
"Follow me, Lady," he said.
The guard headed off, and Rose followed swiftly. The two headed down a hallway. The guard then motioned to a door. Rose walked over to the door. She placed the back of her hand against it and rattled her fingers.
The door opened in two seconds, and Freya stared at Rose with some surprise.
"What are you doing here?" Freya asked.
"Trouble," Rose replied. "May I come in?"
"Sure. Just beware of the two men," Freya said.
"Ha ha," Meander said from inside the room.
Rose entered the room quietly to find two male humans playing cards. Freya had clearly not been playing with them, but instead watching.
"Who are you?" Rose asked.
"Meander," Meander grunted. "And Mr. Silence is Amarant."
Amarant said nothing. Rose's eyes narrowed.
"Meander?" she spat.
"I didn't kill anyone, I swear it," Meander immediately said.
"You killed Eroy," Rose spat.
"No I didn't," Meander replied. "That was Julius."
"What?"
Everyone looked over at Freya, who was staring wide-eyed at Meander. She looked shocked. Rose frowned, while Meander looked confused.
"What?" he asked.
"Did you say that Julius killed Eroy?" Freya asked quietly.
"Yes," Meander replied.
There was a long silence. Rose finally broke it.
"Trouble is brewing in Burmecia. We need you back home," Rose told Freya.
"I've been banned," Freya replied.
"Do you think I don't know that? I know you've been banned! But I don't give a shit! Mysterious murders are rising up! Ebon doesn't care! Construction is slowing! Everyone is saying it's because the two Dragon Warriors left! They're saying that if a Dragon Warrior returns, everything will be all right! Freya, they want you! They want you to return order! They believe you're the only one who can stop it all! We want you to come back, God-damn it!" Rose screamed.
Everyone was silent with shock. Meander shook his head and continued with the card game. Amarant did as well. Freya and Rose stared at each other.
"Are you saying they want me back?" Freya asked.
"DAMN IT! Freya, were you listening? Did I get caught and beaten by God-damn Ebon just to find out you turned into an idiot?" Rose screamed angrily.
Freya only stared with shock. Her eyes then narrowed.
"He beat you?" Freya asked.
"Yes," Rose said with a snort. "And he said that if I dared go to you it'd be a banning for me next. And he said you'll be killed if you return."
"Killed? Freya, you said you'd only get the dungeon!" Amarant snapped, jerking his head in the direction of Freya and Rose.
Freya was clearly thinking things over. She then smiled.
"Killed? Well, this is what I say to Ebon: His threats aren't working, because I'm coming back," Freya told Rose.
Rose's features lit up with a smile. "Seriously? Would you like me to tell him that?"
"No! Oh God, no! Don't go back there!" Freya immediately protested. "Too dangerous, too dangerous! God, I never thought home would be too dangerous! Please, go to Alexandria. It's safer and -"
"And Fratley's there," Amarant said before Freya could say anything.
"What?" Freya asked.
"Why isn't he here?" Rose asked.
"I got a letter," Amarant snorted. "He's in a coma. But he's alive in that sense."
Freya only gawked at Amarant. Rose nodded, eyes lowered.
"All right," Rose said. She looked up at Freya. "I'll go."
"There," Freya said, looking over at the older woman. "If you go to Burmecia, I'll kill you if Ebon doesn't first."
Rose smirked. "You're not my mother."
"No, I'm not. But I care about you, and I don't want you to go to Burmecia. Fratley would tell you the same thing. So would Aireff," Freya continued.
"Aireff is back at Burmecia," Rose protested.
"But he's a man! He's not a woman! He doesn't have to worry about the COL or Ebon!"
Rose sighed. "You can't convince me."
"I've figured that out. I can only beg."
Rose sighed and gave Freya a quick hug. "See you later."
Rose quietly left the room. Freya sighed with exasperation.
"Every rose has thorns," Freya said. "And Rose has more than enough of them."
"I can't believe you're suddenly dying to go back to Burmecia," Amarant said. "I mean, it's dangerous. Shouldn't you -"
"Look, I'm going back to Burmecia, and you're not changing my mind!" Freya snarled.
Amarant didn't fight back or snarl. He only smirked.
"That's exactly the type of attitude I want to see!" Amarant announced triumphantly.
"I don't need an army to come with me to Burmecia! Jeez!"
Trying to convince Lindblum of that was the trick. Freya looked at all the people who were willing to come with her. She sighed.
"All right, fine, I'll take Amarant, Eiko, Dominic, and Meander," Freya said.
It took her a few seconds to figure out whom she had chosen. She then groaned.
"Oh no. Can I re-choose?" she asked.
"Nope!" Meander said happily.
"Crap," Freya muttered.
"Must Eiko come?" Amarant asked.
"Yes, she must. She'll be the only girl besides me. Yes, she must come!" Freya retorted.
"Darn," Amarant muttered.
"Hey, you could always not go," Freya offered hopefully.
"And let you get yourself blinded or something? No," Amarant replied. "I'll go get ready."
Amarant left the dining room. Eiko was nearly bouncing off the walls with joy. Meander was all smiles. Dominic was also smiling, though his smile was sympathetic.
"God, Freya, do you know what you've gotten yourself into?" he asked.
"I don't know even half of it, do I?" Freya asked.
"No," Dominic replied. "You don't."
Eiko rushed out of the room, Dominic following. Meander's smile became a smirk.
"God, you're in for quite the trip," Meander said, grinning.
"You remind of a vampire. Go away, leave me to sulk," Freya groaned.
Meander chuckled and left.
A few hours later, everyone was as ready as they could be. Amarant had bought a few warp scrolls and a Heavy Lance for Freya ("Your Belated Christmas present"). Meander had his pack stuffed with literally everything he would need. Eiko had a small sack and two moogles with her. Dominic had a small pack full of food. Freya had nothing at all but the clothes on her back and the Lance Amarant bought her.
"All right, if you're ready, shout 'here'," Freya said absentmindedly.
"HERE!" everyone shouted.
"Shit, not so loud!" Freya replied.
"Hey, you told us to shout," Meander said with a shrug.
"And you said you were in charge," Amarant pointed out.
"All right, all right, all right! Look, let's just get moving!" Freya replied.
"And we're off!" Meander shouted, running out the door. Amarant followed at a slower pace.
Dominic smiled sympathetically at Freya. He then left. Eiko was giggling uncontrollably. Freya sighed and walked over to Eiko.
"Please answer this question. What have I gotten myself into?" Freya asked.
Eiko stopped giggling long enough to answer.
"Quite the adventure."
The group quickly left Lindblum. When outside, Freya sighed with relief. It was nice to actually be outside and with fresh air.
"Are we going to get moving?" Amarant asked.
"Maybe," Freya replied. "I'm in charge. I say when we go."
"I'm hungry," Meander commented. "I'm going to go hunt, okay?"
"Uh, well, all right," Freya replied, clearly confused.
"Awesome," Meander said. He licked his lips and headed off with no weapons.
"I don't want to know how he's going to hunt," Freya commented.
"Well, I guess we're stuck here until he gets back," Amarant grunted.
"We need a plan anyway," Dominic said. "Julius is no doubt going to try and nail us while we're on the move. I say that someone holds watch each night, except Freya."
"And why not me?" Freya asked.
"Because you're the one Julius wants. If you get attacked, you won't scream. You'll be killed. No, we're not going to allow you to watch," Dominic said.
Freya snorted, but said nothing.
"All right. Now, if Julius attacks while you're on watch, do something to wake us up," Dominic said.
"Can we step on you?" Amarant asked.
"Anything," Dominic said. "Do anything."
Amarant grinned.
"All right. I say we don't stop often. Only at night. I'm sure we can survive on low rations?" Dominic asked.
"I can cook a lot in five minutes," Freya said. "Easily."
"You're the chef then," Amarant said.
"Damn it," Freya muttered.
"I can help!" Eiko chirped.
There was a long silence. Apparently no one wanted Eiko to help.
"All right," Dominic said. "I think we're okay for now."
"Meander's back," Amarant commented. "He caught a rabbit."
"A rabbit?" Freya asked.
"Yeah," Amarant said. He then raised his voice. "We're not hungry, Meander. Not after what you did to it."
"All the more for me, then," Meander said.
Everyone looked over at the rabbit Meander held, and they quickly turned away.
"You're right, Amarant," Freya said. "We definitely aren't hungry anymore."
"It's just a little bloodied," Meander said.
"A little bloodied and torn to pieces," Freya replied.
"Same thing as if it were cooked," Meander pointed out.
"Yeah, except your teeth were on it."
"How'd you know?"
"Teeth marks."
"Heh. Want to try some?"
"I cook my food, Meander."
"Oh well."
Meander sat down and began to eat the rabbit. Freya sighed.
"As soon as he's done with his little snack we'll go," Freya told everyone.
Everyone nodded, except Meander, who was too busy eating.
Within five minutes, they were on the move. And as she walked away from Lindblum with her new team, Freya had an odd feeling something was watching them.
------- Sorry about long update. Anyway, Freya's finally on the move =) We're going to actually get somewhere *gasps*
I'm still not done with the Let Fear Propel You Forward chapter. I haven't had much time to write. I'll try to catch up, I promise!
This story is copyright to me. Some characters, locations, and Gaia in general are copyright to SquareEnix.