Chapter Thirty-seven
Three Weeks Later; Burmecia; Early Morning
A thick sheet of near-black clouds covered the mountains decorating Burmecia's background; the massive clouds covered the very tips of the grand mountains, and were pummeling the region with a massive storm, a mix of snow and ice. Equally dark clouds, though not as thick, covered the skies of Burmecia, showering it with a similar mixture of ice and snow, though it was not as heavy there as it was in the mountains. There had been heavy precipitation for most of the evening before, and it had continued through out the night. It was hoped that the bad weather would clear up to at least a nice sprinkle of snow.
Freya stared out the massive window in the "basement" of Fratley's house. Though the snow and icy rain falling from the sky made it difficult to see, the Burmecian could still see that the clouds were moving in the direction of the Vube Desert. The storm was moving on.
Three weeks... A week to recover, two weeks for preparations. How a wedding could need two weeks for preparations, Freya was not too sure about herself. She supposed it didn't matter; as long as the weather cleared, the wedding would not have to be delayed any longer. Tail twitching, Freya turned her gaze from the window and stared at the wall near the stairs. How long had she dreamed for this day again? How long had it been?
Years. She knew that. Years. Taking a deep breath, Freya padded quietly over to the stairs. She turned her gaze to the window one last time, watching as the ice and snow pelted the streets with no forgiveness. Then, nodding her head slightly, Freya disappeared upstairs.
"Damn, I hate weddings."
"You haven't even been to one."
"Can't blame me. I risk having my throat cut open if I dare even show up in public."
"And if anyone dares see you at a wedding, they may think it's for you."
"And then I'm dead."
Amarant and Meander were alone, safe inside one of the rooms in the Underground Chamber. The storm's endless battering against the ground could be heard almost as if it were nothing more than gentle rain. A massive fire, resting within the hearth opposite the wooden door, lit the good-sized room an orange color; yet, despite the fire's size, there appeared to be nothing burning in the hearth. The walls and floor were a white stone. Right in front of the earth was a brown and amber rug, luxurious and soft. Meander was lying on his back on this rug, staring at the ceiling. On either side of the rug were two massive chairs, layered with cushions. A footrest was in front of each chair. Amarant was relaxing in one of the chairs, staring at the wall. The wooden door leading into the room was partially open, and if the two men were paying attention, they would see a pair of blue cat eyes watching them.
Meander sighed heavily, then spoke, "I don't see the point of these weddings."
"Official stamp showing your love for each other, I guess," Amarant grunted. "Also official stamp that you can have kids without everyone shunning you."
Meander let out a sarcastic bark of laughter, before mumbling, "Which is why I'm not allowed to get married."
"Like you'd bother anyway," Amarant grunted.
"I hate crowds," Meander randomly replied, though the response may have, perhaps, had something to do with the conversation.
"So do I," Amarant answered. "Though I can deal with them better than you. I don't get all jittery."
"I can't help it."
"I know you can't."
Meander's gaze flickered to Amarant for a moment, before returning to the spotless, white ceiling. He shook his head lightly, as if shaking some thought from his mind. Amarant looked over at him quietly, wondering what he was thinking.
"I wish I could just skip the wedding," Meander grunted.
"Freya would kill us," Amarant replied. He then chuckled bitterly. "Though she may be afraid we'll ruin it."
"She knows we wouldn't bother," Meander snorted. "Too much work, and too much attention." Meander shuddered slightly when he spoke the final word.
"We'll just have to go," Amarant concluded.
"You'd better!"
Meander groaned as the new, feminine voice pierced the air. He pushed himself into a sitting position and found that Kitski had entered the room. She wore her leather pants and white blouse, but her weapons were missing, though her pouch was with her. Closing the door quietly, Kitski turned her gaze on Meander.
"It's not nice to spy on your father," Meander spat.
"You're not my father. You're old enough to be my grandfather," Kitski retorted.
"I adopted you. That count enough for you?" Meander growled.
"You're still old enough to be my grandfather," Kitski replied, a smirk tugging at her lips.
"I'm not that old," Meander said with a sigh, rolling on his stomach.
"You're 56, buddy," Kitski said, walking over.
"30 in human years."
"No bother. I'm not here to argue about your age."
"No, you're here to nag us," Amarant spat. "Don't worry, we'll behave at the wedding."
"Oh, shut up. I'm not like that. I know better than to nag a bounty hunter with a fist the size of my head, or a demon hybrid with claws longer than my damn hair," Kitski snarled. "I'm here to discuss something more important."
"My claws aren't that long," Meander muttered. "And your head isn't that big, though you act like it's inflated enough."
Kitski chose to ignore Meander's comment as she threw herself into the chair opposite Amarant. She forced the chair into a position that allowed her to face Meander and Amarant with ease. She put her feet casually on Meander's back, causing the demon hybrid to growl.
"I'm not your footrest."
"Shaddup," Kitski spat. "You don't think the wedding will go smoothly, will you?"
Meander and Amarant exchanged a confused glance. The two of them focused their gazes on Kitski, who returned the gazes with her own.
"We were hoping--" Meander began.
"Too bad. Hoping's not enough," Kitski interrupted, causing the hybrid to growl warningly. "No doubt either the Underworld or the COL has got to be pretty pissed off about their best man down the tubes. Crushois was probably living on the heads of the Burmecians Julius killed--"
"Nice mental picture, Kitski," Meander growled.
"--While a party must've come daily in the COL from all the victories Julius brought them. Julius was the COL's leader, and also their best killer; Julius was the Underworld's best hitman. That's two very powerful, very pissed off groups. Now, don't start arguing that the COL is nothing without Julius. 85% of the people in Julius' group were there because they believed Burmecians should be gone, not because they were forced. All members are trained to fight. The COL can try something; whether they will is the different story. And let's not get started on the Underworld's power." Kitski continued. "Just look at Daskara."
"Daskara hates Crushois," Meander growled. "He, like everyone else, hates all demon scum."
"Doesn't look like I'm hating your guts too badly," Kitski replied calmly. "Anyway, hopefully you get my point?"
"That the wedding is going to be overrun by pissed off folks?" Amarant guessed.
Kitski sighed, rolling her eyes. "Not exactly what I had in mind. The point is that you should be prepared for whatever comes."
"Oh. That too," Amarant snorted.
Another sigh escaped Kitski's lips while she rubbed her temples irritably. "Talking with you two is always an adventure."
"Having someone's clawed feet on your back is a pretty interesting adventure as well," Meander commented.
Kitski let out a soft chuckle as she rose to her feet. Soon, she was standing on Meander's back, and Meander's opinion was evident in his black eyes; the outer rim of the black irises was turning slightly red. Despite his evident aggravation, however, a light smirk came over Meander's face. The bulky tail of the hybrid twitched, then suddenly came upward in a full, powerful swing. Kitski detected the movement immediately, as she moved to avoid it, but she wasn't quick enough. Meander's tail circled around her leg, and soon lifted the Cat Demi into the air. The Demi was limp in a stunned position for a few moments. It didn't take long for her to become tense with anger.
"You! Put me down!" Kitski spat.
The smirk on Meander's face became broader while Kitski's blue eyes narrowed with anger. Lifting his hand, a few sparks of fire appeared at Meander's fingertips. The little sparks grew into a full-fledged inferno right at Meander's fingertips. With a single fluid movement, the fireball was sent flying into the wooden door, sending it crashing off its hinges from the force. When Kitski saw this, her eyes widened with shock, as she realized what was happening.
"Oh no," she muttered. "No, no no -- Meander, DON'T!"
Her half-hearted pleas were far too late. Already Meander's tail swung forward, releasing Kitski's leg. Kitski went flying straight into the stone wall of the hallway. Dominic, who had been passing by only a few feet away, looked up with startled confusion. Kitski spat out a bunch of curses, clearly not knowing he was there, while she rose to her feet. Black tail lashing, she bared her fangs at Meander, who was watching her with a light smirk on his face.
"You are going to pay for that," Kitski hissed in a single breath.
"How much do I owe you?" Meander asked.
Kitski's mouth moved, but no words came out. It took her a few seconds to get Meander's joke, but when she did, her annoyed look had returned. She let out a cat-like hiss at Meander, who returned it with a demon hiss. Then, without another word, Kitski limped off, her leg bleeding from massive gashes.
"Impressive. You actually enjoyed yourself, and you actually made a joke," Amarant grunted, looking over at Meander.
"I know how to have fun if I really want to," Meander grunted.
"Too bad you could've killed her," Dominic commented, peeking into the room for a few seconds.
"I wouldn't have done it if I didn't think Kitski could handle it. Trust me, she'll be all dandy by the wedding," Meander replied.
"Dandy?" Amarant snorted. "Funny, I never knew Kitski could be dandy."
Meander looked toward the doorway, as if expecting a reply from Dominic, only to find that the boy had left. Shrugging lightly, Meander rose into a sitting position. He was soon on his feet and stretching.
"Well, no time now," he said in a seemingly random way. "We can only hope the wedding won't be held."
"And I wouldn't plan on that hope," Amarant grunted, but Meander had already disappeared.
Whether or not Amarant and Meander had hoped for no wedding did not matter. In the end, the storm moved on, being replaced by a snow shower in the late afternoon, a snowy version of Burmecia's rain. The temperature was fiercely cold, thus freezing up the slick ground, but the grass near the lake was merely frosted, and easier to walk on than the ice-frozen stone paths. The thick, green, coniferous bushes glistened from the icy pearls that covered their branches. Snow covered the tops of the bushes, but did not completely cover the icy beauty contained on the green bushes. The single cherry tree living a lonely existence behind the green bushes had long shed its leaves, but ice had frozen upon its branches as well. Icy pearls of liquid were frozen mid-drop on the branches, making small yet gorgeous icicles. In their own way, the plants and ice worked together to make beautiful wonders. The lake itself was completely frozen over, with nothing beautiful about it except for the expanse of white snow covering it. The grass that wasn't covered in snow was showing off glistening, icy blades.
It was pretty scenery for a wedding, if a bit dangerous to unsteady feet. But Kitski's feet were certainly not unsteady, and they particularly couldn't be when they weren't even on the ground. The Demi had her head in the massive bushes, her left hand pulling a few branches aside so she could see more clearly. Her cat-like flexibility allowed her to curl into a ball within the rest of the bush, so that she was relatively well hidden within the bush. She was also keeping fairly dry, since the bushes strong branches were holding up the snow, and any ice that may have melted onto her had been knocked to the ground in her struggle to get into the bush.
Most probably would've thought Kitski had sneaked off to the wedding, but that wasn't the case. In fact, the main reason she was hiding was because of a Burmecian tradition at weddings. Unlike with humans and Demis, who felt it was close to a sin to even dare outshine the bride at weddings, Burmecians allowed it to become a gentle contest to see who could outshine the bride, or if she would outshine everyone else. The only problem Kitski found with the contest was that every female was considered. Kitski was wearing her average battle outfit -- leather pants, leather vest over a white shirt, her healing pouch, and a dagger hidden under either sleeve -- and somehow she knew that would not go well with the contest. Therefore, to avoid strange glances and questions, she hid in the bush.
Her gaze centered on Freya, who was standing near the lake's frozen shore. Unlike humans brides, who were practically commanded to where white at their weddings, Burmecians barely ever wore white, being that their fur was white enough already. Freya, clearly, was no exception. Kitski had to admit, the Burmecian did look nice. The dress matched the color of Freya's green eyes, or got close to matching the almost seagreen color. It was not the fanciest dress in the world, which relieved Kitski; rather, lace decorated the ends of the sleeves and bottom of the dress, and the collar. Nothing else really fancy seemed on it. A single flower, pink in color, was in Freya's hair behind her left ear. Other than that, her outfit was not much, but somehow suited the Dragon Warrior well. Kitski unconsciously nodded with approval while turning her gaze elsewhere.
"Hiding in the bush... How shameful of you."
"What are you doing, Meander?" Kitski retorted, turning her gaze on the demon hybrid, who had crawled into the bushes beside her. She could see that he was having a little more trouble keeping completely within the bush, however; he, after all, didn't have nearly as flexible a spine as she did.
"Cowering in the bush. Twice as shameful as your actions," Meander grunted, looking over at his adopted daughter.
"From the crowds?" Kitski guessed, looking out toward the lake. "Oh, my. Everyone seems to be arriving at once."
"You mean you didn't hear the airship?" Meander asked, almost nervously. "Rulers are arriving..."
"It's only Lindblum and Alexandria," Kitski replied.
"Still, they are -- Who's that?" Meander asked, turning his gaze toward the very crowd he was hiding from.
Kitski followed Meander's gaze to a human -- Well, not exactly. Most humans didn't have tails. This particular being wore grey pants that looked far more casual than former, with a black vest. He wore large, greyish boots, and grey gloves. His shoulder-length blonde hair was in a halfway decent state, though not exactly perfect. Kitski couldn't help but smile.
"Oh, that's Zidane, the Queen's boyfriend. Apparently she couldn't convince him to dress very formal," Kitski said calmly.
"Boyfriend?" Meander asked nervously.
"Oh, hush. He doesn't even know you. Why would he be after you?" Kitski asked.
Meander did not respond, but Kitski saw his gaze flicker to something else. She followed it, and found him to be staring at Eiko, who wore a lavender dress that reached just below her knees. The sleeves on this dress were completely lace, and flowery designs were sewed into the body of the dress. Lavender shoes perfected the outfit. Kitski nodded in approval; the dress was neither dull nor fancy.
"She looks nice," Meander grunted.
"Oh, and Freya doesn't?" Kitski asked, though she knew Meander meant well.
"I didn't say that," Meander replied, turning his gaze to something else. "Where are her parents?"
"Freya's parents are dead."
"Not hers! Eiko's."
"Oh. I'm not sure."
"You two are insane."
"Hello Amarant," Kitski commented without turning around. "How's the party?"
"Annoying. I saw Fratley. Almost laughed; he looks hilarious in a formal outfit," Amarant replied.
"It's not a tuxedo, is it?" Meander asked.
"No, thankfully, he didn't go that far," Amarant grunted, leaning against the cherry tree.
"Freya looks nice enough, don't you think, Amarant?" Kitski asked.
Amarant didn't respond, causing Kitski to grin. Meander saw the grin and rolled his eyes, but said nothing. He instead stared through the bushes, as if trying to see something.
"Are they starting?" he asked.
"Oh goody, I think so," Kitski replied. "It's Wanderer, and some Burmecian holding a book."
"Yes, then it is starting," Meander grunted just as Wanderer began to speak. "Hmmm... Perhaps we should be quiet?"
"Why bother? I can translate what he's saying. He's basically saying what a wonderful thing it is to have two Dragon Warriors marry. Thus, this good happening is predicting a good future for the kingdom of Burmecia," Kitski explained quickly.
Amarant, Kitski, and Meander were silent for a while. As Wanderer's speech rolled on, Kitski turned out to be correct. Her words were an exact summary of his speech.
"You are impressive, Kitski. Physic," Meander muttered.
"Now, may us enjoy this great day! For despite the hardships, this event proves that good days are coming for us," Wanderer finished, his words followed by a polite clap.
"Physic, indeed," Meander repeated quietly. "Now, what is the priest going to say."
"Ladies, gentlemen, friends, family," the priest and Kitski said at the same time, though only Kitski, Meander, and Amarant were aware of it. "We are gathered here on this most joyous occasion, to witness the joining of Freya Crescent and Fratley."
"What? Fratley doesn't have a last name?" Meander muttered.
"Maybe they didn't want it said?" Kitski guessed, no longer repeating the priest's words.
"Who cares?" Amarant muttered.
"Good point," Kitski replied.
"The Great Dragon truly shines down upon us today," the priest continued, and Kitski was quick to pick up where he was. "On a day that shall forever stand in the heart's of everyone here--"
"Oh Heavenly Paladin," Meander muttered. "He's boring me already!"
"Just the same thing as at every other wedding," Kitski said. She then paused. "Hold on..."
"In a nation forever plagued by fighting, taught to fight, romance and love are rare things to come by. While everyone is out practicing with their weapons, or making the weapons, no one seems to have time to think about the feelings we may feel for one another--" the priest continued.
"Okay, now that is new," Kitski commented.
"That is just plain weird," Meander muttered.
"They're Burmecians, what do you expect?" Amarant grunted.
It was probably a very good thing Kitski, Meander, and Amarant were far behind everyone else. Otherwise, they probably would've been heard, and kicked out. Luckily for them, their comments were unheard, and the priest continued his religious droning.
"If I fall asleep, will you guys kill me?" Meander whispered.
"No," Kitski replied. "I'm too busy memorizing that guy's speech."
"You're a weird one," Amarant snapped.
"Yet now, despite the hate we seem to encourage, this day shall prove that love does bring itself force, no matter what the situation--" The priest continued.
"Okay," Kitski whispered, dragging out the "a".
"I dare say even Freya looks bored," Meander muttered.
"Not religious, I suppose," Kitski muttered back. "Oh Heavenly Paladin, please let him be done!"
"Aren't the Great Dragon and the Heavenly Paladin the same thing?" Amarant asked.
"Supposedly, yes," Kitski replied.
"Then won't She be very annoyed if you are trying to stop a priest from honoring this occasion of Hers?" Amarant snorted.
"She won't mind. She knows I'm a nutcase," Kitski whispered with a grin.
"The priest is done, folks. He just asked Fratley to kiss the bride," Meander announced in a whisper.
"Oh! Let's hope he trips! Oh, Gosh darn-it, he didn't," Kitski said with disappointment.
"You are evil," Amarant whispered.
"I know. Look at who raised me," Kitski replied.
"I'm not -- What was that?" Meander stuttered, as a rumbling came through the ground.
"Good question," Amarant grunted.
The ground shuddered again, this time with more force. Kitski couldn't help but smirk as realization came over her face.
"It's the welcoming committee," she announced as the ground gave another shudder. "Except it's very, very late."
Just as Kitski's last words came out, the ground erupted behind him. Three puma-like creatures launched themselves out of the hole, spreading bat-like wings. They opened their mouths and hissed, showing off sharp fangs. Following the Demon Cats was a horde of Demon Dogs. Kitski wrenched herself out of the bush as she watched the demons soar over the bush and land a few inches away. They charged for the scattering crowd.
The sound of metal scraping against metal became evident over the demon hissing. The Demon Cats launched themselves for Freya, who easily moved out of the way of the attack and punched one of the Cats in the jaw. Fratley had already kicked one to the ground. Despite their apparent calmness, however, they were quickly surprised when one Demon Cat hissed with deathly pain. It slammed into the ground, an emerald sword stuck in its head. Holding the silver hilt tightly were two pale, lightly scarred hands with long, sharp nails.
Meander wrenched his sword from the dead Cat's head. Another Demon Cat tackled him to the ground, its massive paws on the demon hybrid's shoulders. It hissed and moved to rip Meander's face apart, but Meander put his hands on the Cat's side and shoved it aside. He grabbed his sword, and suddenly leapt into the air, causing the ashen-colored Cat to hiss angrily, its fur-tipped tail lashing.
"Die, demon scum!" Meander shouted angrily, speaking in the demon tongue.
Every single demon present became still, their eyes wide open with seeming shock. Then each one turned around to look at Meander. They hissed angrily, trashing about and baring their fangs with uttermost anger as they all surged for the human being that had insulted them.
Kitski, blue eyes wide with panic, leapt to her feet and leapt over the bush, pulling her twin blades out from under her sleeves. Freya also started forward, as did Fratley, but most of the Burmecian backed as far away as possible. Zidane watched the demons surge toward the unknown person who he did not recognize, but he suddenly wished he had his dagger so he could help.
Soon, however, everyone who had charged forward was forced to move back further as an explosion of fire discharged from Meander's arms and hands, which had been burning with a deadly Firaga spell. As the demon hybrid landed on his feet, he slashed open the throat of a Demon Dog who had not been fried in the flames. The remaining Demon Cat roared, spreading its ashen wings as it took to the skies. With a cat-like snarl it charged for Meander, who spun about and shoved his sword into the Cat's chest. The sword managed to fit in-between two ribs and pierce the Cat's heart. Its final breath came out in a pained hiss as Meander withdrew his sword from its chest. The Cat landed with a thud while Meander spun about and slashed the throat of another Demon Dog.
Four Demon Dogs charged at Meander, their fangs bared in aggression. A cat-like screech came through the air, and suddenly Kitski came soaring through the air, her mouth open in a snarl. The Demi landed on the shoulders of a Demon Dog, forcing it to the ground while Kitski slashed two deep cuts in the back of its thick-skinned neck. The other Three Demon Dogs paused, confused on whether to attack the demon hybrid who had insulted them, or the Demi who had killed their companion. Meander, who was busy fending off four other Demon Dogs, could not help them choose, but Kitski could, and did. She slashed a cut in the throat of one of them, while slashing another cut into the neck of the Demon Dog she had grounded.
One Demon Dog launched for Meander's back, but it was thrown to a ground by one of Freya's powerful fists. Zidane, the closest one nearby, slammed his foot as hard as he could on the fallen Dog's head. The Demon Dog hissed with pain, but a powerful kick from Zidane's foot caused it to quiet. Fratley kicked back another Demon Dog charging for Freya, who had grounded another Demon Dog using swift martial arts techniques. Meander's sword soon ripped open the throat of the Demon Dog Fratley had grounded, while Kitski's twin blades had cut open the throat of the one Freya had brought down.
There were only two Demon Dogs left, and they were at a loss at who to attack. Confused, they tossed their heads about, sniffing the air with their dog-like noses. Meander rose to his full height and pointed the tip of his sword at one of the Demon Dogs.
"Your kind is not wanted. Get out!" Meander snapped in the demon tongue.
The Demon Dog let out a series of growls, and Meander's eyes flashed red with anger.
"I am nothing like you, and never will be," Meander snarled in demon.
The Demon Dog let out another series of growls, while its companion approached carefully, the spines on its back rising warningly. Meander snarled, revealing his own sharp fangs, while he spun his sword about. Kitski rose to her full height.
"Out!" she commanded in demon, though it was clear she was not good with the language.
The two Dogs charged, only to thrown back by a massive fireball. Vivi soon slipped in-between Kitski and Meander, his hands held outward. Within his hands, a fire spell was forming. Meander looked down at the little mage, then back up at the Demon Dogs, who were spitting demonic curses in Meander's direction.
Then, suddenly, Meander charged forward and slashed open the throat of one Demon Dog. Vivi discharged his Firaga spell at the other. The force of the spell sent the Demon Dog flying out into the lake. It landed so hard against the ice that the ice broke, and suddenly the Dog was gone under the ice, stuck in the icy waters beneath.
A long, eerie silence followed the fight. The bodies of the demons were gone, long replaced by red energy, which had long disappeared into the hole created when the demons arrived. No demon blood marked the fight, though blood gathered on Meander's face showed that there had been some battle. Wiping at the blood, four parallel cuts were revealed on Meander's face. They appeared to be the only wounds he had suffered. Kitski, Freya, and Fratley had suffered similar scratches and cuts.
"It's all over," Meander muttered, speaking the human tongue once more.
Suddenly, the sound of clapping filled the air. Meander and Kitski soon located the source; Freya was clapping. Fratley soon followed suit, and one by one, the crowd gathered began to clap. Kitski blinked with surprise, seeming confused, while Meander growled with worry.
"That was amazing," Freya whispered. "If it weren't for you two, I think we'd have quite a few casualties."
Kitski smiled slightly, while Meander growled softly, though it appeared to be with content. Soon, the clapping died away. A few Burmecians began to head toward the castle. Soon, everyone had followed suit. Meander walked over to Freya.
"Why just us two? You and Fratley -- and that monkey-tailed fellow, too -- also helped," Meander whispered.
"Martial arts? Kicking? Please. The most that did was ground the demons. You and Kitski were the ones who charged without fear straight into a horde of demons. Now that is amazing, more amazing that martial arts in wedding outfits," Freya replied with a light smirk. "Now, forget that. The castle holds food, and I'm hungry. Aren't you?"
Meander winced. "Cooked food...?"
"Oh, no! Not for you, anyway," Freya replied, surprising Meander. She grinned at the hybrid's surprise.
Soon, the two had passed through the castle doors. Freya walked over to one of the massive tables set up on the left side of the room. She picked up a massive hunk of raw meat at the very end of the tables and tossed it to Meander, who took the meat with surprise.
"I figured by the way you devoured that rabbit way back when that you prefer things uncooked," Freya said calmly, picking up a plate and taking some things that were not so raw from the tables.
"Thank you," Meander muttered.
"Not a problem," Freya said, taking a pastry and eating it in one gulp.
Meander crept away, clutching the hunk of meat as if it were gold. Kitski smirked lightly, taking a plate and piling it with a series of meats and herbs. She looked up casually and saw Puck talking with Dominic. Judging by Dominic's face, he wasn't happy about the subject. A thought crossed Kitski's mind. She turned to Freya, who was devouring a few more pastries.
"Where was Dominic at the ceremony?" Kitski asked.
"He wasn't there. He was here, making sure nothing happened," Freya replied, pausing long enough between eating to speak. "Wanderer thought someone may break into the castle. Turns out he was wrong."
"I suppose so," Kitski replied. "I wonder who will win that contest...?"
"Oh, the Beauty one? Eiko did," Freya replied.
"How do you know?" Kitski asked.
Freya smirked. "The bride's always told first, so she can throw a fit then and not when it was officially announced."
Kitski grinned lightly. "Makes enough sense."
"Hey guys!" Puck rudely interrupted. "I found out why Dominic doesn't command things to die. It's because he murdered a bunch of people by accident when he was younger!"
"What?" Freya began, but Puck had already ran off. She sighed. "Well, that's Puck."
"I already knew that," Kitski said matter-of-factly. "Basically he was being harassed in his old village. Being a kid, he said the average 'Damn you'... Unfortunately for him, he really DID damn them. All 28 of them are enjoying themselves in hell now."
"Rude of Puck to force something like that out of the kid," Freya said, glancing at Dominic. "But that's Puck..."
"Looks like he's complaining to Wanderer about something," Kitski commented.
"He's trying to convince Wanderer that he should be king," said a familiar voice.
Kitski and Freya turned around to find Anita standing behind them, munching quietly on a flat cookie.
"Not working too well, though. Wanderer refuses, for the sake of the people," Anita said calmly.
"Sake of the people, indeed!" Freya commented, accepting a goblet of wine from a nearby Burmecian. "All we need is an immature Puck for King. He had been doing a good job, I admit, but honestly..."
"That's what Wanderer is saying," Anita said. "Oh, and congratulations, Freya. I already found Fratley and congratulated him, so I guess I'm all set."
Freya couldn't help but grin as she replied, "Trying your best to be polite, eh?"
"Oh, I can be polite. It's just that when you're trying to get Puck to sit still and not make everyone uncomfortable, you don't have time to be polite," Anita replied with a grin. "Well, time to sniff out Puck... Literally."
After sniffing the air, Anita soon had headed off. Freya watched her leave, and shook her head.
"Crazy place, this is," Freya muttered.
"And to think, you promised to protect it," Kitski replied.
"I'm just as crazy as this place, then," Freya commented with a smirk.
"I guess -- Hmmm? Music?" Kitski said, turning her gaze in the direction of the Burmecians playing flutes and harps.
"For dancing," Freya explained, replenishing her empty goblet with wine. "And for a cheery mood. Now where's Fratley--?"
"Right behind you?"
"Oh!" Freya whirled around and found herself staring at her new husband. "Why didn't you say anything?"
Fratley shrugged lightly, smiling. "Oh, no reason."
"Dancing?" Kitski muttered. "I can't dance."
"Neither can I, but so what?" Fratley said. "It's for fun. No contest or anything."
"Right, but I'm too hungry to dance right now. Give me an hour," Freya said, smirking as she got more food.
Fratley chuckled, shaking his head. "As you wish."
"Aren't you going to eat?" Kitski asked.
"Eventually. I'm not too hungry right now," Fratley replied, turning his gaze to the center of the room. The stone floor was clear of obstacles, its grey face easily seen. A few Burmecians had already gathered and were doing a few traditional dances that required many spins, twists, and amazing shows of footwork.
"Zidane and Garnet joined the floor," Freya commented, but not before swallowing the food she had been chewing. "Don't recognize that dance..."
"Just a slow dance. Common for weddings," Kitski explained.
"So you know dances, but don't do them?" Fratley asked.
"I've been to many parties and weddings," Kitski commented. "Well, I'm off to find Meander..."
"Suit yourself. Just don't expect to get around very--" Freya began.
"Freya! Hey, FREYA!" Puck's loud voice rudely cut in on Freya's sentence.
Freya groaned, rolling her eyes. She continued to eat, not saying anything. Fratley looked over at Puck curiously.
"What is it?" he asked.
"I just wanted to tell her congratulations," Puck said in the best innocent voice he could muster.
"Oh really?" Fratley asked, clearly not believing it. "Be serious, Puck."
"Oh, fine then. I wanted to tell her that EVERYONE WANTS YOU AND FRATLEY ON THE DANCE FLOOR, GOD DAMMIT!" Puck roared.
"I can think of a few people who wouldn't," Freya commented, her gaze flickering near Amarant, who had situated himself as close to the door leading outside as he could.
Amarant, apparently seeing Freya look in his direction, shook his head bitterly and waved his hand, almost as if shooing her away. Freya glared at him in return, and that was the end of their friendly -- yes, friendly -- greeting. Freya looked over at Puck and shook her head.
"Not--" she began.
"I don't think anyone could wait. If you'd open your eyes, or at least use them properly, you'd notice everyone is waiting," Puck interrupted.
Freya turned her gaze to the rest of the room. Indeed, a good portion of the crowd seemed to be waiting for the newly married couple to joining the fun. Freya and Fratley exchanged glances. Puck stood by impatiently, his clawed foot tapping against the ground. A light smirk came over Freya's face. She then surprised Puck by tossing her plate in his direction.
"Thank you for ruining my dinner, but it's just as well. Come on, Fratley, before we get food thrown at us," Freya said, watching Puck rub food off his face as the ceramic plate fell to the floor with a crash.
Fratley laughed and shook his head. "I think you've had too much wine."
"I think you're insane," Amarant muttered. Not sticking around to watch the dancing become more intense, he disappeared outside in a flash.
A viscous demon growl startled him. He leaped to the right and immediately drew his claws. The minute he saw who had growled, however, he couldn't help but scowl.
"Damn it, Meander! You should know by now that I don't steal raw meat," Amarant spat.
"Sorry," Meander growled in return, wiping blood away from his mouth. "I thought you were someone else."
Amarant sighed deeply, calming down enough to retract his claws back into their metallic holders. He leaned against the castle's grey stone wall, watching as Meander tore another small chunk of meat from the small hunk he had left.
"So, what's going on in there?" Meander asked, swallowing the small chunk whole.
"Dancing." Amarant spat out the word like it was a deadly disease.
"Ah," Meander grunted, swallowing another whole chunk of meat. "That waste of time."
"Sounds like everyone's having fun," Amarant muttered.
"It'll be over soon," Meander reassured as he swallowed the last of the hunk of meat. "Hopefully."
"What? The dancing? The wedding?" Amarant asked.
"Both... Are you happy for her?"
"Who?"
"Gee, smartass, who do you think?"
Amarant began to examine his large, bluish fingers as if they were the most fascinating things on Gaia. He muttered, "I suppose."
"Same here." Meander turned his gaze toward the inside of the castle. "I guess she'll be happy, being he's the guy of her dreams and all. But he forgot so much, and I remember when he was on Eoroqu; he's changed, damn."
"So you knew him."
"God damn it, I trained him! I taught him demon techniques! He forgot it all..."
"Don't let it get to you. Fratley forgot a lot more shit than that."
"I know." Meander sighed deeply. "But if Freya's happy with what he does remember, then there's no reason to be unhappy, I suppose."
"I've no problem with Fratley, or at least no serious ones. But I do find it annoying that you two talk behind my back."
Both Meander and Amarant started at hearing Freya's slightly annoyed, yet at the same time slightly amused tone. They turned to watch the woman watching them calmly with her almost seagreen eyes.
"The two of you are humorous," she said, a smirk playing on her face.
"You're a hell of a lot funnier," Amarant grunted.
"In a bad way, I know," Freya said. She looked behind her. "The wedding won't end for a while, just so you know. More dancing, more eating, more talking... Another two hours of it."
"Crap," Meander growled.
"Your teeth are bloody," Freya commented casually. "You should get some water and wash it off."
"Or maybe I'll bite you and make it worse," Meander said, baring his fangs in a teasing way.
"I'm scared," Freya said sarcastically. She then looked over at Amarant. "If you don't wish to stick around, you can go. Same with you, Meander. I imagine some others may leave early."
Meander and Amarant exchanged surprised glances. They then looked over at Freya.
"Seriou--" Amarant began.
"FREYA!" Eiko chirped, dashing over to Freya and tugging on her arm to get her attention. "Congratulations! Oh, and Garnet and Zidane want to wish you congratulations too. Come on, quick talking to those two deadweights! Let's go!"
Freya gave an apologetic glance to Meander and Amarant. Amarant scowled at Eiko, while Meander smirked as he rose to his feet. Freya and Eiko soon disappeared into the castle, while Meander and Amarant glanced at each other.
"How about we leave, not just the wedding, but the whole shitty city?" Amarant asked.
"I was going to ask you the same thing," Meander replied with a smirk. "Let's go. Kitski will catch up."
Meander headed off ahead, his tail scraping against the stone and creating a racket. Amarant stepped a few feet forward, then looked at the castle behind him. He smirked every slightly.
"Congratulations, you rat," he muttered, his words directed at Freya. His tone could be described as affectionate, or at least in Amarant's terms.
With that, he turned around and followed Meander, as the two headed out of the City of Eternal Rain.
"Freya! Good to see you alive!" Zidane said jokingly, turning to Freya with a grin.
Freya couldn't help but laugh while she replied, "Oh yes, alive, and barely managing it! Tell me, Zidane, how are you doing? Being a lazy bum?"
"No, not really," Zidane said. "Actually, I've been busy..."
"Busy? I've been doing more work than you!" Garnet declared, hands on her hips while she glowered lovingly at Zidane.
"Heh," Zidane managed, chuckling while he turned his gaze to the ceiling.
"Lazy deadweight," Freya muttered teasingly. She turned to Garnet. "And how are you, Your Highness?"
"I'm not Your Highness in this kingdom, Freya," Garnet said, smiling. "I've been doing well. I'm trying to organize a festival to celebrate my ruling -- it's an Alexandrian thing, many citizens want it. It's taking a lot of work, though."
"We want to add a new room to the castle," Zidane explained.
"Another one?" Freya asked, chuckling.
"Yeah, one specifically for special occasions and such. You know, large and roomy with room for dancing. Heck, I think it'd be much like this room!" Zidane declared, examining the main room of the Burmecian Castle.
"But it's taking a lot of work to plan it, and get the blueprints. It'd be a great addition, but the castle doesn't seem to have enough room to fit it," Garnet said with disappointment. "So we're thinking we may have to not build it and find some other way to handle the large crowd for the festival."
"Enough about us, though. How have you been, Freya? You figured out who was stalking you, right? Is he dead?" Zidane asked.
"No, Zidane, we have a truce. Of course he's dead! Oh, and he was Julius," Freya said, her first sentence sarcastic.
"Julius? I suspected Meander," Garnet mumbled.
"Meander's a good guy. Just takes a while to get used to him," Eiko chirped loudly.
"A long while," Freya muttered.
"Oh, well, at least the real bad guy's dead, right?" Zidane asked.
"Exactly," Freya agreed.
"Well, we won't keep you any longer," Garnet said politely, having clearly spotted Regent Cid.
"Yeah, see you later, Freya!" Zidane said, waving goodbye.
"Bye," Freya said simply, watching the two head off.
"Sure is great to talk with others, isn't it Freya?" Eiko chirped happily. She then suddenly bounded away, clearly chasing after Zidane.
"Too many people, not enough voice," Freya muttered, watching Eiko leave. She looked around and disappeared outside the minute she saw no one else was watching.
Surprisingly, it was dark. Apparently, a lot of time had passed from the beginning of the ceremony in the late afternoon, until the casual time that was taking place. Taking a deep breath, Freya enjoyed the fresh air, and the crisp scent snow brought to the air. She padded a few feet forward, and chuckled softly at seeing fresh bootprints in the snow. Amarant and Meander had moved on. Whirling around, Freya looked up at the massive, slightly curved roof of the castle. She knelt down slightly, muscles tense.
Suddenly she leapt into the air, soaring as high as her feet could bring her in a dress. She smoothly landing on the lower roof of the castle. From there she bounced onto the main roof, and padded about carefully on it until she rested right near the recently built glass dome at the very top. Sighing contently, and happy to be away from the crowd, Freya said down and stared up at the cloudy sky. Even behind the clouds she could tell that the sun was gone. It was dark, probably about an hour after sunset. The air was cool, but not too cool, since the thick cloud cover kept in the heat.
"This is an interesting place to find you at."
Freya looked behind her to find Fratley leaping smoothly over the dome. He soon sat beside Freya, staring up at the sky.
"Same to you," Freya said calmly.
Fratley chuckled. "I came up here looking for you. I figured you'd be up here, since it's about the most quiet place you can find at a time like this."
"Quiet... Ah, quiet," Freya whispered. "After such a group occasion, it's what I want the most."
"It'll be over eventually," Fratley muttered, putting his arm around Freya's shoulders.
"Eventually could mean hours," Freya replied, leaning her head against Fratley's shoulder. "I wish I could do what Amarant and Meander did.
"And what is that?"
"Leave."
Fratley chuckled. "Getting tired? Bored?"
"It was fun while it lasted. The dancing was fun, the food was great, and the ceremony was nice..."
"Except for those demons running in and trying to bite our feet off."
Freya laughed. "Even that was pretty nice, in a strange way."
"Oh? You like demons trying to bite your feet off?"
Freya gave Fratley a kiss on the cheek. "Of course not, you idiot. It's just the nice show Meander and Kitski gave."
"That was pretty impressive. You'd think Meander would be a lot slower, and Kitski a lot less powerful." Fratley paused. "Speaking of those two goons, I didn't see them. Did they leave?"
"Meander and Amarant did. I suppose Kitski did as well."
"I'm surprised Amarant actually came." Fratley said these words with a snort.
"Amarant's not as bad as he seems... Er, okay, so maybe he is an asshole, but he's a good one."
Fratley couldn't help but laugh. "All right, Freya? That made no sense."
Freya grinned. "Too much wine. Give me a break."
"Wine...?"
"Oh, gosh, Fratley, don't tell me you can't recognize wine when you see it!"
"I'm not that bad, Freya."
"You sure?" Freya gave Fratley's head a few light knocks with her fist. "Hmmm... Damn, I think you're right. Your head didn't cave in."
Fratley laughed, stroking Freya's cheek. "Okay, now I know you had too much wine."
Freya sighed softly. "You know, all the crap I've been through over the months... It was so crazy I began to lose hope at some point. I thought that even the stars had lost hope in me because everything seemed so useless. Now I feel almost foolish saying it, but I truly felt that way. Then everything just pulled together. All the friends I have... It's just amazing. Amarant, Meander, Kitski... All those people who you wouldn't expect to care actually cared."
"The good qualities in people are sometimes hidden," Fratley muttered. He turned his gaze to the sky, and a loving smile came over his face. "Look, Freya. Even the stars find occasion to shine on your happy day."
Freya looked over at Fratley, and saw the loving look in his blue eyes. She then looked up to the sky, noting that the snow did seem lighter. She couldn't help but smile when she saw what Fratley spoke of. For the clouds had cleared a bit, and the sky was visible.
And there shining in the sky was a bright star, with a few others twinkling around it. The very stars that Freya had thought had given up hope on her were now shining down upon her.
----- Tada! So that's the end of it all! If you couldn't tell, I had fun writing this chapter, particularly the part with the priest. And of course, one final fight scene (mwahahahaha!). So, yeah, not much to say. Just thank you for sticking around despite my obvious insanity! Thank you for reading. Thank you for reviewing. I hope you enjoyed the story.
This story is copyright to me. Some characters, locations, and Gaia in general are copyright to SquareEnix.
Three Weeks Later; Burmecia; Early Morning
A thick sheet of near-black clouds covered the mountains decorating Burmecia's background; the massive clouds covered the very tips of the grand mountains, and were pummeling the region with a massive storm, a mix of snow and ice. Equally dark clouds, though not as thick, covered the skies of Burmecia, showering it with a similar mixture of ice and snow, though it was not as heavy there as it was in the mountains. There had been heavy precipitation for most of the evening before, and it had continued through out the night. It was hoped that the bad weather would clear up to at least a nice sprinkle of snow.
Freya stared out the massive window in the "basement" of Fratley's house. Though the snow and icy rain falling from the sky made it difficult to see, the Burmecian could still see that the clouds were moving in the direction of the Vube Desert. The storm was moving on.
Three weeks... A week to recover, two weeks for preparations. How a wedding could need two weeks for preparations, Freya was not too sure about herself. She supposed it didn't matter; as long as the weather cleared, the wedding would not have to be delayed any longer. Tail twitching, Freya turned her gaze from the window and stared at the wall near the stairs. How long had she dreamed for this day again? How long had it been?
Years. She knew that. Years. Taking a deep breath, Freya padded quietly over to the stairs. She turned her gaze to the window one last time, watching as the ice and snow pelted the streets with no forgiveness. Then, nodding her head slightly, Freya disappeared upstairs.
"Damn, I hate weddings."
"You haven't even been to one."
"Can't blame me. I risk having my throat cut open if I dare even show up in public."
"And if anyone dares see you at a wedding, they may think it's for you."
"And then I'm dead."
Amarant and Meander were alone, safe inside one of the rooms in the Underground Chamber. The storm's endless battering against the ground could be heard almost as if it were nothing more than gentle rain. A massive fire, resting within the hearth opposite the wooden door, lit the good-sized room an orange color; yet, despite the fire's size, there appeared to be nothing burning in the hearth. The walls and floor were a white stone. Right in front of the earth was a brown and amber rug, luxurious and soft. Meander was lying on his back on this rug, staring at the ceiling. On either side of the rug were two massive chairs, layered with cushions. A footrest was in front of each chair. Amarant was relaxing in one of the chairs, staring at the wall. The wooden door leading into the room was partially open, and if the two men were paying attention, they would see a pair of blue cat eyes watching them.
Meander sighed heavily, then spoke, "I don't see the point of these weddings."
"Official stamp showing your love for each other, I guess," Amarant grunted. "Also official stamp that you can have kids without everyone shunning you."
Meander let out a sarcastic bark of laughter, before mumbling, "Which is why I'm not allowed to get married."
"Like you'd bother anyway," Amarant grunted.
"I hate crowds," Meander randomly replied, though the response may have, perhaps, had something to do with the conversation.
"So do I," Amarant answered. "Though I can deal with them better than you. I don't get all jittery."
"I can't help it."
"I know you can't."
Meander's gaze flickered to Amarant for a moment, before returning to the spotless, white ceiling. He shook his head lightly, as if shaking some thought from his mind. Amarant looked over at him quietly, wondering what he was thinking.
"I wish I could just skip the wedding," Meander grunted.
"Freya would kill us," Amarant replied. He then chuckled bitterly. "Though she may be afraid we'll ruin it."
"She knows we wouldn't bother," Meander snorted. "Too much work, and too much attention." Meander shuddered slightly when he spoke the final word.
"We'll just have to go," Amarant concluded.
"You'd better!"
Meander groaned as the new, feminine voice pierced the air. He pushed himself into a sitting position and found that Kitski had entered the room. She wore her leather pants and white blouse, but her weapons were missing, though her pouch was with her. Closing the door quietly, Kitski turned her gaze on Meander.
"It's not nice to spy on your father," Meander spat.
"You're not my father. You're old enough to be my grandfather," Kitski retorted.
"I adopted you. That count enough for you?" Meander growled.
"You're still old enough to be my grandfather," Kitski replied, a smirk tugging at her lips.
"I'm not that old," Meander said with a sigh, rolling on his stomach.
"You're 56, buddy," Kitski said, walking over.
"30 in human years."
"No bother. I'm not here to argue about your age."
"No, you're here to nag us," Amarant spat. "Don't worry, we'll behave at the wedding."
"Oh, shut up. I'm not like that. I know better than to nag a bounty hunter with a fist the size of my head, or a demon hybrid with claws longer than my damn hair," Kitski snarled. "I'm here to discuss something more important."
"My claws aren't that long," Meander muttered. "And your head isn't that big, though you act like it's inflated enough."
Kitski chose to ignore Meander's comment as she threw herself into the chair opposite Amarant. She forced the chair into a position that allowed her to face Meander and Amarant with ease. She put her feet casually on Meander's back, causing the demon hybrid to growl.
"I'm not your footrest."
"Shaddup," Kitski spat. "You don't think the wedding will go smoothly, will you?"
Meander and Amarant exchanged a confused glance. The two of them focused their gazes on Kitski, who returned the gazes with her own.
"We were hoping--" Meander began.
"Too bad. Hoping's not enough," Kitski interrupted, causing the hybrid to growl warningly. "No doubt either the Underworld or the COL has got to be pretty pissed off about their best man down the tubes. Crushois was probably living on the heads of the Burmecians Julius killed--"
"Nice mental picture, Kitski," Meander growled.
"--While a party must've come daily in the COL from all the victories Julius brought them. Julius was the COL's leader, and also their best killer; Julius was the Underworld's best hitman. That's two very powerful, very pissed off groups. Now, don't start arguing that the COL is nothing without Julius. 85% of the people in Julius' group were there because they believed Burmecians should be gone, not because they were forced. All members are trained to fight. The COL can try something; whether they will is the different story. And let's not get started on the Underworld's power." Kitski continued. "Just look at Daskara."
"Daskara hates Crushois," Meander growled. "He, like everyone else, hates all demon scum."
"Doesn't look like I'm hating your guts too badly," Kitski replied calmly. "Anyway, hopefully you get my point?"
"That the wedding is going to be overrun by pissed off folks?" Amarant guessed.
Kitski sighed, rolling her eyes. "Not exactly what I had in mind. The point is that you should be prepared for whatever comes."
"Oh. That too," Amarant snorted.
Another sigh escaped Kitski's lips while she rubbed her temples irritably. "Talking with you two is always an adventure."
"Having someone's clawed feet on your back is a pretty interesting adventure as well," Meander commented.
Kitski let out a soft chuckle as she rose to her feet. Soon, she was standing on Meander's back, and Meander's opinion was evident in his black eyes; the outer rim of the black irises was turning slightly red. Despite his evident aggravation, however, a light smirk came over Meander's face. The bulky tail of the hybrid twitched, then suddenly came upward in a full, powerful swing. Kitski detected the movement immediately, as she moved to avoid it, but she wasn't quick enough. Meander's tail circled around her leg, and soon lifted the Cat Demi into the air. The Demi was limp in a stunned position for a few moments. It didn't take long for her to become tense with anger.
"You! Put me down!" Kitski spat.
The smirk on Meander's face became broader while Kitski's blue eyes narrowed with anger. Lifting his hand, a few sparks of fire appeared at Meander's fingertips. The little sparks grew into a full-fledged inferno right at Meander's fingertips. With a single fluid movement, the fireball was sent flying into the wooden door, sending it crashing off its hinges from the force. When Kitski saw this, her eyes widened with shock, as she realized what was happening.
"Oh no," she muttered. "No, no no -- Meander, DON'T!"
Her half-hearted pleas were far too late. Already Meander's tail swung forward, releasing Kitski's leg. Kitski went flying straight into the stone wall of the hallway. Dominic, who had been passing by only a few feet away, looked up with startled confusion. Kitski spat out a bunch of curses, clearly not knowing he was there, while she rose to her feet. Black tail lashing, she bared her fangs at Meander, who was watching her with a light smirk on his face.
"You are going to pay for that," Kitski hissed in a single breath.
"How much do I owe you?" Meander asked.
Kitski's mouth moved, but no words came out. It took her a few seconds to get Meander's joke, but when she did, her annoyed look had returned. She let out a cat-like hiss at Meander, who returned it with a demon hiss. Then, without another word, Kitski limped off, her leg bleeding from massive gashes.
"Impressive. You actually enjoyed yourself, and you actually made a joke," Amarant grunted, looking over at Meander.
"I know how to have fun if I really want to," Meander grunted.
"Too bad you could've killed her," Dominic commented, peeking into the room for a few seconds.
"I wouldn't have done it if I didn't think Kitski could handle it. Trust me, she'll be all dandy by the wedding," Meander replied.
"Dandy?" Amarant snorted. "Funny, I never knew Kitski could be dandy."
Meander looked toward the doorway, as if expecting a reply from Dominic, only to find that the boy had left. Shrugging lightly, Meander rose into a sitting position. He was soon on his feet and stretching.
"Well, no time now," he said in a seemingly random way. "We can only hope the wedding won't be held."
"And I wouldn't plan on that hope," Amarant grunted, but Meander had already disappeared.
Whether or not Amarant and Meander had hoped for no wedding did not matter. In the end, the storm moved on, being replaced by a snow shower in the late afternoon, a snowy version of Burmecia's rain. The temperature was fiercely cold, thus freezing up the slick ground, but the grass near the lake was merely frosted, and easier to walk on than the ice-frozen stone paths. The thick, green, coniferous bushes glistened from the icy pearls that covered their branches. Snow covered the tops of the bushes, but did not completely cover the icy beauty contained on the green bushes. The single cherry tree living a lonely existence behind the green bushes had long shed its leaves, but ice had frozen upon its branches as well. Icy pearls of liquid were frozen mid-drop on the branches, making small yet gorgeous icicles. In their own way, the plants and ice worked together to make beautiful wonders. The lake itself was completely frozen over, with nothing beautiful about it except for the expanse of white snow covering it. The grass that wasn't covered in snow was showing off glistening, icy blades.
It was pretty scenery for a wedding, if a bit dangerous to unsteady feet. But Kitski's feet were certainly not unsteady, and they particularly couldn't be when they weren't even on the ground. The Demi had her head in the massive bushes, her left hand pulling a few branches aside so she could see more clearly. Her cat-like flexibility allowed her to curl into a ball within the rest of the bush, so that she was relatively well hidden within the bush. She was also keeping fairly dry, since the bushes strong branches were holding up the snow, and any ice that may have melted onto her had been knocked to the ground in her struggle to get into the bush.
Most probably would've thought Kitski had sneaked off to the wedding, but that wasn't the case. In fact, the main reason she was hiding was because of a Burmecian tradition at weddings. Unlike with humans and Demis, who felt it was close to a sin to even dare outshine the bride at weddings, Burmecians allowed it to become a gentle contest to see who could outshine the bride, or if she would outshine everyone else. The only problem Kitski found with the contest was that every female was considered. Kitski was wearing her average battle outfit -- leather pants, leather vest over a white shirt, her healing pouch, and a dagger hidden under either sleeve -- and somehow she knew that would not go well with the contest. Therefore, to avoid strange glances and questions, she hid in the bush.
Her gaze centered on Freya, who was standing near the lake's frozen shore. Unlike humans brides, who were practically commanded to where white at their weddings, Burmecians barely ever wore white, being that their fur was white enough already. Freya, clearly, was no exception. Kitski had to admit, the Burmecian did look nice. The dress matched the color of Freya's green eyes, or got close to matching the almost seagreen color. It was not the fanciest dress in the world, which relieved Kitski; rather, lace decorated the ends of the sleeves and bottom of the dress, and the collar. Nothing else really fancy seemed on it. A single flower, pink in color, was in Freya's hair behind her left ear. Other than that, her outfit was not much, but somehow suited the Dragon Warrior well. Kitski unconsciously nodded with approval while turning her gaze elsewhere.
"Hiding in the bush... How shameful of you."
"What are you doing, Meander?" Kitski retorted, turning her gaze on the demon hybrid, who had crawled into the bushes beside her. She could see that he was having a little more trouble keeping completely within the bush, however; he, after all, didn't have nearly as flexible a spine as she did.
"Cowering in the bush. Twice as shameful as your actions," Meander grunted, looking over at his adopted daughter.
"From the crowds?" Kitski guessed, looking out toward the lake. "Oh, my. Everyone seems to be arriving at once."
"You mean you didn't hear the airship?" Meander asked, almost nervously. "Rulers are arriving..."
"It's only Lindblum and Alexandria," Kitski replied.
"Still, they are -- Who's that?" Meander asked, turning his gaze toward the very crowd he was hiding from.
Kitski followed Meander's gaze to a human -- Well, not exactly. Most humans didn't have tails. This particular being wore grey pants that looked far more casual than former, with a black vest. He wore large, greyish boots, and grey gloves. His shoulder-length blonde hair was in a halfway decent state, though not exactly perfect. Kitski couldn't help but smile.
"Oh, that's Zidane, the Queen's boyfriend. Apparently she couldn't convince him to dress very formal," Kitski said calmly.
"Boyfriend?" Meander asked nervously.
"Oh, hush. He doesn't even know you. Why would he be after you?" Kitski asked.
Meander did not respond, but Kitski saw his gaze flicker to something else. She followed it, and found him to be staring at Eiko, who wore a lavender dress that reached just below her knees. The sleeves on this dress were completely lace, and flowery designs were sewed into the body of the dress. Lavender shoes perfected the outfit. Kitski nodded in approval; the dress was neither dull nor fancy.
"She looks nice," Meander grunted.
"Oh, and Freya doesn't?" Kitski asked, though she knew Meander meant well.
"I didn't say that," Meander replied, turning his gaze to something else. "Where are her parents?"
"Freya's parents are dead."
"Not hers! Eiko's."
"Oh. I'm not sure."
"You two are insane."
"Hello Amarant," Kitski commented without turning around. "How's the party?"
"Annoying. I saw Fratley. Almost laughed; he looks hilarious in a formal outfit," Amarant replied.
"It's not a tuxedo, is it?" Meander asked.
"No, thankfully, he didn't go that far," Amarant grunted, leaning against the cherry tree.
"Freya looks nice enough, don't you think, Amarant?" Kitski asked.
Amarant didn't respond, causing Kitski to grin. Meander saw the grin and rolled his eyes, but said nothing. He instead stared through the bushes, as if trying to see something.
"Are they starting?" he asked.
"Oh goody, I think so," Kitski replied. "It's Wanderer, and some Burmecian holding a book."
"Yes, then it is starting," Meander grunted just as Wanderer began to speak. "Hmmm... Perhaps we should be quiet?"
"Why bother? I can translate what he's saying. He's basically saying what a wonderful thing it is to have two Dragon Warriors marry. Thus, this good happening is predicting a good future for the kingdom of Burmecia," Kitski explained quickly.
Amarant, Kitski, and Meander were silent for a while. As Wanderer's speech rolled on, Kitski turned out to be correct. Her words were an exact summary of his speech.
"You are impressive, Kitski. Physic," Meander muttered.
"Now, may us enjoy this great day! For despite the hardships, this event proves that good days are coming for us," Wanderer finished, his words followed by a polite clap.
"Physic, indeed," Meander repeated quietly. "Now, what is the priest going to say."
"Ladies, gentlemen, friends, family," the priest and Kitski said at the same time, though only Kitski, Meander, and Amarant were aware of it. "We are gathered here on this most joyous occasion, to witness the joining of Freya Crescent and Fratley."
"What? Fratley doesn't have a last name?" Meander muttered.
"Maybe they didn't want it said?" Kitski guessed, no longer repeating the priest's words.
"Who cares?" Amarant muttered.
"Good point," Kitski replied.
"The Great Dragon truly shines down upon us today," the priest continued, and Kitski was quick to pick up where he was. "On a day that shall forever stand in the heart's of everyone here--"
"Oh Heavenly Paladin," Meander muttered. "He's boring me already!"
"Just the same thing as at every other wedding," Kitski said. She then paused. "Hold on..."
"In a nation forever plagued by fighting, taught to fight, romance and love are rare things to come by. While everyone is out practicing with their weapons, or making the weapons, no one seems to have time to think about the feelings we may feel for one another--" the priest continued.
"Okay, now that is new," Kitski commented.
"That is just plain weird," Meander muttered.
"They're Burmecians, what do you expect?" Amarant grunted.
It was probably a very good thing Kitski, Meander, and Amarant were far behind everyone else. Otherwise, they probably would've been heard, and kicked out. Luckily for them, their comments were unheard, and the priest continued his religious droning.
"If I fall asleep, will you guys kill me?" Meander whispered.
"No," Kitski replied. "I'm too busy memorizing that guy's speech."
"You're a weird one," Amarant snapped.
"Yet now, despite the hate we seem to encourage, this day shall prove that love does bring itself force, no matter what the situation--" The priest continued.
"Okay," Kitski whispered, dragging out the "a".
"I dare say even Freya looks bored," Meander muttered.
"Not religious, I suppose," Kitski muttered back. "Oh Heavenly Paladin, please let him be done!"
"Aren't the Great Dragon and the Heavenly Paladin the same thing?" Amarant asked.
"Supposedly, yes," Kitski replied.
"Then won't She be very annoyed if you are trying to stop a priest from honoring this occasion of Hers?" Amarant snorted.
"She won't mind. She knows I'm a nutcase," Kitski whispered with a grin.
"The priest is done, folks. He just asked Fratley to kiss the bride," Meander announced in a whisper.
"Oh! Let's hope he trips! Oh, Gosh darn-it, he didn't," Kitski said with disappointment.
"You are evil," Amarant whispered.
"I know. Look at who raised me," Kitski replied.
"I'm not -- What was that?" Meander stuttered, as a rumbling came through the ground.
"Good question," Amarant grunted.
The ground shuddered again, this time with more force. Kitski couldn't help but smirk as realization came over her face.
"It's the welcoming committee," she announced as the ground gave another shudder. "Except it's very, very late."
Just as Kitski's last words came out, the ground erupted behind him. Three puma-like creatures launched themselves out of the hole, spreading bat-like wings. They opened their mouths and hissed, showing off sharp fangs. Following the Demon Cats was a horde of Demon Dogs. Kitski wrenched herself out of the bush as she watched the demons soar over the bush and land a few inches away. They charged for the scattering crowd.
The sound of metal scraping against metal became evident over the demon hissing. The Demon Cats launched themselves for Freya, who easily moved out of the way of the attack and punched one of the Cats in the jaw. Fratley had already kicked one to the ground. Despite their apparent calmness, however, they were quickly surprised when one Demon Cat hissed with deathly pain. It slammed into the ground, an emerald sword stuck in its head. Holding the silver hilt tightly were two pale, lightly scarred hands with long, sharp nails.
Meander wrenched his sword from the dead Cat's head. Another Demon Cat tackled him to the ground, its massive paws on the demon hybrid's shoulders. It hissed and moved to rip Meander's face apart, but Meander put his hands on the Cat's side and shoved it aside. He grabbed his sword, and suddenly leapt into the air, causing the ashen-colored Cat to hiss angrily, its fur-tipped tail lashing.
"Die, demon scum!" Meander shouted angrily, speaking in the demon tongue.
Every single demon present became still, their eyes wide open with seeming shock. Then each one turned around to look at Meander. They hissed angrily, trashing about and baring their fangs with uttermost anger as they all surged for the human being that had insulted them.
Kitski, blue eyes wide with panic, leapt to her feet and leapt over the bush, pulling her twin blades out from under her sleeves. Freya also started forward, as did Fratley, but most of the Burmecian backed as far away as possible. Zidane watched the demons surge toward the unknown person who he did not recognize, but he suddenly wished he had his dagger so he could help.
Soon, however, everyone who had charged forward was forced to move back further as an explosion of fire discharged from Meander's arms and hands, which had been burning with a deadly Firaga spell. As the demon hybrid landed on his feet, he slashed open the throat of a Demon Dog who had not been fried in the flames. The remaining Demon Cat roared, spreading its ashen wings as it took to the skies. With a cat-like snarl it charged for Meander, who spun about and shoved his sword into the Cat's chest. The sword managed to fit in-between two ribs and pierce the Cat's heart. Its final breath came out in a pained hiss as Meander withdrew his sword from its chest. The Cat landed with a thud while Meander spun about and slashed the throat of another Demon Dog.
Four Demon Dogs charged at Meander, their fangs bared in aggression. A cat-like screech came through the air, and suddenly Kitski came soaring through the air, her mouth open in a snarl. The Demi landed on the shoulders of a Demon Dog, forcing it to the ground while Kitski slashed two deep cuts in the back of its thick-skinned neck. The other Three Demon Dogs paused, confused on whether to attack the demon hybrid who had insulted them, or the Demi who had killed their companion. Meander, who was busy fending off four other Demon Dogs, could not help them choose, but Kitski could, and did. She slashed a cut in the throat of one of them, while slashing another cut into the neck of the Demon Dog she had grounded.
One Demon Dog launched for Meander's back, but it was thrown to a ground by one of Freya's powerful fists. Zidane, the closest one nearby, slammed his foot as hard as he could on the fallen Dog's head. The Demon Dog hissed with pain, but a powerful kick from Zidane's foot caused it to quiet. Fratley kicked back another Demon Dog charging for Freya, who had grounded another Demon Dog using swift martial arts techniques. Meander's sword soon ripped open the throat of the Demon Dog Fratley had grounded, while Kitski's twin blades had cut open the throat of the one Freya had brought down.
There were only two Demon Dogs left, and they were at a loss at who to attack. Confused, they tossed their heads about, sniffing the air with their dog-like noses. Meander rose to his full height and pointed the tip of his sword at one of the Demon Dogs.
"Your kind is not wanted. Get out!" Meander snapped in the demon tongue.
The Demon Dog let out a series of growls, and Meander's eyes flashed red with anger.
"I am nothing like you, and never will be," Meander snarled in demon.
The Demon Dog let out another series of growls, while its companion approached carefully, the spines on its back rising warningly. Meander snarled, revealing his own sharp fangs, while he spun his sword about. Kitski rose to her full height.
"Out!" she commanded in demon, though it was clear she was not good with the language.
The two Dogs charged, only to thrown back by a massive fireball. Vivi soon slipped in-between Kitski and Meander, his hands held outward. Within his hands, a fire spell was forming. Meander looked down at the little mage, then back up at the Demon Dogs, who were spitting demonic curses in Meander's direction.
Then, suddenly, Meander charged forward and slashed open the throat of one Demon Dog. Vivi discharged his Firaga spell at the other. The force of the spell sent the Demon Dog flying out into the lake. It landed so hard against the ice that the ice broke, and suddenly the Dog was gone under the ice, stuck in the icy waters beneath.
A long, eerie silence followed the fight. The bodies of the demons were gone, long replaced by red energy, which had long disappeared into the hole created when the demons arrived. No demon blood marked the fight, though blood gathered on Meander's face showed that there had been some battle. Wiping at the blood, four parallel cuts were revealed on Meander's face. They appeared to be the only wounds he had suffered. Kitski, Freya, and Fratley had suffered similar scratches and cuts.
"It's all over," Meander muttered, speaking the human tongue once more.
Suddenly, the sound of clapping filled the air. Meander and Kitski soon located the source; Freya was clapping. Fratley soon followed suit, and one by one, the crowd gathered began to clap. Kitski blinked with surprise, seeming confused, while Meander growled with worry.
"That was amazing," Freya whispered. "If it weren't for you two, I think we'd have quite a few casualties."
Kitski smiled slightly, while Meander growled softly, though it appeared to be with content. Soon, the clapping died away. A few Burmecians began to head toward the castle. Soon, everyone had followed suit. Meander walked over to Freya.
"Why just us two? You and Fratley -- and that monkey-tailed fellow, too -- also helped," Meander whispered.
"Martial arts? Kicking? Please. The most that did was ground the demons. You and Kitski were the ones who charged without fear straight into a horde of demons. Now that is amazing, more amazing that martial arts in wedding outfits," Freya replied with a light smirk. "Now, forget that. The castle holds food, and I'm hungry. Aren't you?"
Meander winced. "Cooked food...?"
"Oh, no! Not for you, anyway," Freya replied, surprising Meander. She grinned at the hybrid's surprise.
Soon, the two had passed through the castle doors. Freya walked over to one of the massive tables set up on the left side of the room. She picked up a massive hunk of raw meat at the very end of the tables and tossed it to Meander, who took the meat with surprise.
"I figured by the way you devoured that rabbit way back when that you prefer things uncooked," Freya said calmly, picking up a plate and taking some things that were not so raw from the tables.
"Thank you," Meander muttered.
"Not a problem," Freya said, taking a pastry and eating it in one gulp.
Meander crept away, clutching the hunk of meat as if it were gold. Kitski smirked lightly, taking a plate and piling it with a series of meats and herbs. She looked up casually and saw Puck talking with Dominic. Judging by Dominic's face, he wasn't happy about the subject. A thought crossed Kitski's mind. She turned to Freya, who was devouring a few more pastries.
"Where was Dominic at the ceremony?" Kitski asked.
"He wasn't there. He was here, making sure nothing happened," Freya replied, pausing long enough between eating to speak. "Wanderer thought someone may break into the castle. Turns out he was wrong."
"I suppose so," Kitski replied. "I wonder who will win that contest...?"
"Oh, the Beauty one? Eiko did," Freya replied.
"How do you know?" Kitski asked.
Freya smirked. "The bride's always told first, so she can throw a fit then and not when it was officially announced."
Kitski grinned lightly. "Makes enough sense."
"Hey guys!" Puck rudely interrupted. "I found out why Dominic doesn't command things to die. It's because he murdered a bunch of people by accident when he was younger!"
"What?" Freya began, but Puck had already ran off. She sighed. "Well, that's Puck."
"I already knew that," Kitski said matter-of-factly. "Basically he was being harassed in his old village. Being a kid, he said the average 'Damn you'... Unfortunately for him, he really DID damn them. All 28 of them are enjoying themselves in hell now."
"Rude of Puck to force something like that out of the kid," Freya said, glancing at Dominic. "But that's Puck..."
"Looks like he's complaining to Wanderer about something," Kitski commented.
"He's trying to convince Wanderer that he should be king," said a familiar voice.
Kitski and Freya turned around to find Anita standing behind them, munching quietly on a flat cookie.
"Not working too well, though. Wanderer refuses, for the sake of the people," Anita said calmly.
"Sake of the people, indeed!" Freya commented, accepting a goblet of wine from a nearby Burmecian. "All we need is an immature Puck for King. He had been doing a good job, I admit, but honestly..."
"That's what Wanderer is saying," Anita said. "Oh, and congratulations, Freya. I already found Fratley and congratulated him, so I guess I'm all set."
Freya couldn't help but grin as she replied, "Trying your best to be polite, eh?"
"Oh, I can be polite. It's just that when you're trying to get Puck to sit still and not make everyone uncomfortable, you don't have time to be polite," Anita replied with a grin. "Well, time to sniff out Puck... Literally."
After sniffing the air, Anita soon had headed off. Freya watched her leave, and shook her head.
"Crazy place, this is," Freya muttered.
"And to think, you promised to protect it," Kitski replied.
"I'm just as crazy as this place, then," Freya commented with a smirk.
"I guess -- Hmmm? Music?" Kitski said, turning her gaze in the direction of the Burmecians playing flutes and harps.
"For dancing," Freya explained, replenishing her empty goblet with wine. "And for a cheery mood. Now where's Fratley--?"
"Right behind you?"
"Oh!" Freya whirled around and found herself staring at her new husband. "Why didn't you say anything?"
Fratley shrugged lightly, smiling. "Oh, no reason."
"Dancing?" Kitski muttered. "I can't dance."
"Neither can I, but so what?" Fratley said. "It's for fun. No contest or anything."
"Right, but I'm too hungry to dance right now. Give me an hour," Freya said, smirking as she got more food.
Fratley chuckled, shaking his head. "As you wish."
"Aren't you going to eat?" Kitski asked.
"Eventually. I'm not too hungry right now," Fratley replied, turning his gaze to the center of the room. The stone floor was clear of obstacles, its grey face easily seen. A few Burmecians had already gathered and were doing a few traditional dances that required many spins, twists, and amazing shows of footwork.
"Zidane and Garnet joined the floor," Freya commented, but not before swallowing the food she had been chewing. "Don't recognize that dance..."
"Just a slow dance. Common for weddings," Kitski explained.
"So you know dances, but don't do them?" Fratley asked.
"I've been to many parties and weddings," Kitski commented. "Well, I'm off to find Meander..."
"Suit yourself. Just don't expect to get around very--" Freya began.
"Freya! Hey, FREYA!" Puck's loud voice rudely cut in on Freya's sentence.
Freya groaned, rolling her eyes. She continued to eat, not saying anything. Fratley looked over at Puck curiously.
"What is it?" he asked.
"I just wanted to tell her congratulations," Puck said in the best innocent voice he could muster.
"Oh really?" Fratley asked, clearly not believing it. "Be serious, Puck."
"Oh, fine then. I wanted to tell her that EVERYONE WANTS YOU AND FRATLEY ON THE DANCE FLOOR, GOD DAMMIT!" Puck roared.
"I can think of a few people who wouldn't," Freya commented, her gaze flickering near Amarant, who had situated himself as close to the door leading outside as he could.
Amarant, apparently seeing Freya look in his direction, shook his head bitterly and waved his hand, almost as if shooing her away. Freya glared at him in return, and that was the end of their friendly -- yes, friendly -- greeting. Freya looked over at Puck and shook her head.
"Not--" she began.
"I don't think anyone could wait. If you'd open your eyes, or at least use them properly, you'd notice everyone is waiting," Puck interrupted.
Freya turned her gaze to the rest of the room. Indeed, a good portion of the crowd seemed to be waiting for the newly married couple to joining the fun. Freya and Fratley exchanged glances. Puck stood by impatiently, his clawed foot tapping against the ground. A light smirk came over Freya's face. She then surprised Puck by tossing her plate in his direction.
"Thank you for ruining my dinner, but it's just as well. Come on, Fratley, before we get food thrown at us," Freya said, watching Puck rub food off his face as the ceramic plate fell to the floor with a crash.
Fratley laughed and shook his head. "I think you've had too much wine."
"I think you're insane," Amarant muttered. Not sticking around to watch the dancing become more intense, he disappeared outside in a flash.
A viscous demon growl startled him. He leaped to the right and immediately drew his claws. The minute he saw who had growled, however, he couldn't help but scowl.
"Damn it, Meander! You should know by now that I don't steal raw meat," Amarant spat.
"Sorry," Meander growled in return, wiping blood away from his mouth. "I thought you were someone else."
Amarant sighed deeply, calming down enough to retract his claws back into their metallic holders. He leaned against the castle's grey stone wall, watching as Meander tore another small chunk of meat from the small hunk he had left.
"So, what's going on in there?" Meander asked, swallowing the small chunk whole.
"Dancing." Amarant spat out the word like it was a deadly disease.
"Ah," Meander grunted, swallowing another whole chunk of meat. "That waste of time."
"Sounds like everyone's having fun," Amarant muttered.
"It'll be over soon," Meander reassured as he swallowed the last of the hunk of meat. "Hopefully."
"What? The dancing? The wedding?" Amarant asked.
"Both... Are you happy for her?"
"Who?"
"Gee, smartass, who do you think?"
Amarant began to examine his large, bluish fingers as if they were the most fascinating things on Gaia. He muttered, "I suppose."
"Same here." Meander turned his gaze toward the inside of the castle. "I guess she'll be happy, being he's the guy of her dreams and all. But he forgot so much, and I remember when he was on Eoroqu; he's changed, damn."
"So you knew him."
"God damn it, I trained him! I taught him demon techniques! He forgot it all..."
"Don't let it get to you. Fratley forgot a lot more shit than that."
"I know." Meander sighed deeply. "But if Freya's happy with what he does remember, then there's no reason to be unhappy, I suppose."
"I've no problem with Fratley, or at least no serious ones. But I do find it annoying that you two talk behind my back."
Both Meander and Amarant started at hearing Freya's slightly annoyed, yet at the same time slightly amused tone. They turned to watch the woman watching them calmly with her almost seagreen eyes.
"The two of you are humorous," she said, a smirk playing on her face.
"You're a hell of a lot funnier," Amarant grunted.
"In a bad way, I know," Freya said. She looked behind her. "The wedding won't end for a while, just so you know. More dancing, more eating, more talking... Another two hours of it."
"Crap," Meander growled.
"Your teeth are bloody," Freya commented casually. "You should get some water and wash it off."
"Or maybe I'll bite you and make it worse," Meander said, baring his fangs in a teasing way.
"I'm scared," Freya said sarcastically. She then looked over at Amarant. "If you don't wish to stick around, you can go. Same with you, Meander. I imagine some others may leave early."
Meander and Amarant exchanged surprised glances. They then looked over at Freya.
"Seriou--" Amarant began.
"FREYA!" Eiko chirped, dashing over to Freya and tugging on her arm to get her attention. "Congratulations! Oh, and Garnet and Zidane want to wish you congratulations too. Come on, quick talking to those two deadweights! Let's go!"
Freya gave an apologetic glance to Meander and Amarant. Amarant scowled at Eiko, while Meander smirked as he rose to his feet. Freya and Eiko soon disappeared into the castle, while Meander and Amarant glanced at each other.
"How about we leave, not just the wedding, but the whole shitty city?" Amarant asked.
"I was going to ask you the same thing," Meander replied with a smirk. "Let's go. Kitski will catch up."
Meander headed off ahead, his tail scraping against the stone and creating a racket. Amarant stepped a few feet forward, then looked at the castle behind him. He smirked every slightly.
"Congratulations, you rat," he muttered, his words directed at Freya. His tone could be described as affectionate, or at least in Amarant's terms.
With that, he turned around and followed Meander, as the two headed out of the City of Eternal Rain.
"Freya! Good to see you alive!" Zidane said jokingly, turning to Freya with a grin.
Freya couldn't help but laugh while she replied, "Oh yes, alive, and barely managing it! Tell me, Zidane, how are you doing? Being a lazy bum?"
"No, not really," Zidane said. "Actually, I've been busy..."
"Busy? I've been doing more work than you!" Garnet declared, hands on her hips while she glowered lovingly at Zidane.
"Heh," Zidane managed, chuckling while he turned his gaze to the ceiling.
"Lazy deadweight," Freya muttered teasingly. She turned to Garnet. "And how are you, Your Highness?"
"I'm not Your Highness in this kingdom, Freya," Garnet said, smiling. "I've been doing well. I'm trying to organize a festival to celebrate my ruling -- it's an Alexandrian thing, many citizens want it. It's taking a lot of work, though."
"We want to add a new room to the castle," Zidane explained.
"Another one?" Freya asked, chuckling.
"Yeah, one specifically for special occasions and such. You know, large and roomy with room for dancing. Heck, I think it'd be much like this room!" Zidane declared, examining the main room of the Burmecian Castle.
"But it's taking a lot of work to plan it, and get the blueprints. It'd be a great addition, but the castle doesn't seem to have enough room to fit it," Garnet said with disappointment. "So we're thinking we may have to not build it and find some other way to handle the large crowd for the festival."
"Enough about us, though. How have you been, Freya? You figured out who was stalking you, right? Is he dead?" Zidane asked.
"No, Zidane, we have a truce. Of course he's dead! Oh, and he was Julius," Freya said, her first sentence sarcastic.
"Julius? I suspected Meander," Garnet mumbled.
"Meander's a good guy. Just takes a while to get used to him," Eiko chirped loudly.
"A long while," Freya muttered.
"Oh, well, at least the real bad guy's dead, right?" Zidane asked.
"Exactly," Freya agreed.
"Well, we won't keep you any longer," Garnet said politely, having clearly spotted Regent Cid.
"Yeah, see you later, Freya!" Zidane said, waving goodbye.
"Bye," Freya said simply, watching the two head off.
"Sure is great to talk with others, isn't it Freya?" Eiko chirped happily. She then suddenly bounded away, clearly chasing after Zidane.
"Too many people, not enough voice," Freya muttered, watching Eiko leave. She looked around and disappeared outside the minute she saw no one else was watching.
Surprisingly, it was dark. Apparently, a lot of time had passed from the beginning of the ceremony in the late afternoon, until the casual time that was taking place. Taking a deep breath, Freya enjoyed the fresh air, and the crisp scent snow brought to the air. She padded a few feet forward, and chuckled softly at seeing fresh bootprints in the snow. Amarant and Meander had moved on. Whirling around, Freya looked up at the massive, slightly curved roof of the castle. She knelt down slightly, muscles tense.
Suddenly she leapt into the air, soaring as high as her feet could bring her in a dress. She smoothly landing on the lower roof of the castle. From there she bounced onto the main roof, and padded about carefully on it until she rested right near the recently built glass dome at the very top. Sighing contently, and happy to be away from the crowd, Freya said down and stared up at the cloudy sky. Even behind the clouds she could tell that the sun was gone. It was dark, probably about an hour after sunset. The air was cool, but not too cool, since the thick cloud cover kept in the heat.
"This is an interesting place to find you at."
Freya looked behind her to find Fratley leaping smoothly over the dome. He soon sat beside Freya, staring up at the sky.
"Same to you," Freya said calmly.
Fratley chuckled. "I came up here looking for you. I figured you'd be up here, since it's about the most quiet place you can find at a time like this."
"Quiet... Ah, quiet," Freya whispered. "After such a group occasion, it's what I want the most."
"It'll be over eventually," Fratley muttered, putting his arm around Freya's shoulders.
"Eventually could mean hours," Freya replied, leaning her head against Fratley's shoulder. "I wish I could do what Amarant and Meander did.
"And what is that?"
"Leave."
Fratley chuckled. "Getting tired? Bored?"
"It was fun while it lasted. The dancing was fun, the food was great, and the ceremony was nice..."
"Except for those demons running in and trying to bite our feet off."
Freya laughed. "Even that was pretty nice, in a strange way."
"Oh? You like demons trying to bite your feet off?"
Freya gave Fratley a kiss on the cheek. "Of course not, you idiot. It's just the nice show Meander and Kitski gave."
"That was pretty impressive. You'd think Meander would be a lot slower, and Kitski a lot less powerful." Fratley paused. "Speaking of those two goons, I didn't see them. Did they leave?"
"Meander and Amarant did. I suppose Kitski did as well."
"I'm surprised Amarant actually came." Fratley said these words with a snort.
"Amarant's not as bad as he seems... Er, okay, so maybe he is an asshole, but he's a good one."
Fratley couldn't help but laugh. "All right, Freya? That made no sense."
Freya grinned. "Too much wine. Give me a break."
"Wine...?"
"Oh, gosh, Fratley, don't tell me you can't recognize wine when you see it!"
"I'm not that bad, Freya."
"You sure?" Freya gave Fratley's head a few light knocks with her fist. "Hmmm... Damn, I think you're right. Your head didn't cave in."
Fratley laughed, stroking Freya's cheek. "Okay, now I know you had too much wine."
Freya sighed softly. "You know, all the crap I've been through over the months... It was so crazy I began to lose hope at some point. I thought that even the stars had lost hope in me because everything seemed so useless. Now I feel almost foolish saying it, but I truly felt that way. Then everything just pulled together. All the friends I have... It's just amazing. Amarant, Meander, Kitski... All those people who you wouldn't expect to care actually cared."
"The good qualities in people are sometimes hidden," Fratley muttered. He turned his gaze to the sky, and a loving smile came over his face. "Look, Freya. Even the stars find occasion to shine on your happy day."
Freya looked over at Fratley, and saw the loving look in his blue eyes. She then looked up to the sky, noting that the snow did seem lighter. She couldn't help but smile when she saw what Fratley spoke of. For the clouds had cleared a bit, and the sky was visible.
And there shining in the sky was a bright star, with a few others twinkling around it. The very stars that Freya had thought had given up hope on her were now shining down upon her.
----- Tada! So that's the end of it all! If you couldn't tell, I had fun writing this chapter, particularly the part with the priest. And of course, one final fight scene (mwahahahaha!). So, yeah, not much to say. Just thank you for sticking around despite my obvious insanity! Thank you for reading. Thank you for reviewing. I hope you enjoyed the story.
This story is copyright to me. Some characters, locations, and Gaia in general are copyright to SquareEnix.