Chapter Seventeen: Finally Free..
//—Blood splattered against the walls. Seifer fell to the floor while grasping at his right arm. Four parallel gashes, claw-like marks, were bleeding profusely no matter how much pressure the prince applied to the fresh wound. He pushed himself along the floor, backing away from his attacker. Jade eyes frantically looked around for some kind of escape, but the room melted into shadows leaving him in the darkness with 'it'.
"How dare you!" 'it' roared.
Seifer felt his whole body tremble with the powerful voice that was so full of rage. His back bumped into an invisible barrier, leaving him trapped. Fleeting eyes switched to his pursuer. It was a tall black creature, almost shaped like a man—except for the two wings that stretched out of it's back with feathers of white tinged with blue. It's long slender tail was thrashing wildly through the air behind it in its fury. Five small red horn-like extensions coming from the monster's head, which was defiantly not that of a man's—it was a feline, a lion's head and mane to be exact. [1]
It would have been a sight to marvel, if Seifer had not been so scared out of his mind. His eyes were glued to the pearly white fangs the beast was baring at him—and also at the wickedly clawed hand that dripped with his own blood.
"How dare you harm those in my protection!" It continued to bellow while drawing ever closer to the vulnerable prince.
"I didn't want to! It was a mistake!" Seifer shouted back at the twisted form of an angel. The words just left his mouth, even though he didn't know what they were arguing about.
"You will pay with your blood for the sin you have committed!" The creature suddenly fell onto all fours like a true cat. It roared, shaking Seifer to the bones.
"It's not too late! I can fix it—I can—" Seifer didn't have time to finish his plea. The creature had pounced, aiming its lethal claws at the fallen prince. Jade eyes widen in fear as Seifer saw his own death closing in too quickly to ask the gods for help. Again the monster roared right before—//
Seifer woke up, sitting straight up in his bed. His body was drenched with a cold sweat, making the thin sheets cling to his body. He was panting heavily, and his forehead was pounding. Jade eyes searched wildly around the room, taking in the familiar sight of his bedchambers and then they paused to linger thankful on the rays of morning light that seeped in through the window.
His entire night had been one long nightmare, but it would all be all right now, it was all a bad dream. Still, Seifer felt shaky as he stood up and walked over to a small water basin alongside the wall. He dipped his hands into the cool water and splashed it over his face to wake himself and chase away the last memories of the ominous dream.
Seifer's hand found a clean towel nearby. He pressed it against his wet face while letting out a tired sigh into the soft fabric. When he pulled it away and opened his eyes he dropped the towel in surprise. There was red twisted in with the white linen fibers. Seifer looked at the water basin to see the water swirling with streaks of pale red. Blood. The prince forced himself to look up in the mirror situated above the basin. His reflection stared back at him in horror with dried blood clinging to a cut running down the middle of his forehead.
I thought it was all just a dream..
Seifer took a few deep breaths to slow his heart. Calmly he bent down to wash his face again, making sure to cleanse away the blood. He dried his face off and looked into the mirror a second time to take a closer look at his new scar. Images of the previous night play before his eyes. Seifer groaned as the memories caused his head to throb painfully.
"Oh gods, I didn't. Did I?" Seifer looked inquisitively at his own reflection that returned the gaze, except the mirror show his golden eyebrows drawing together to wrinkle the pale red scar.
The prince frowned when he couldn't answer himself. His eyes strayed from the reflection and landed instead on the silver pendant on the floor near his bed. Somehow he remembered throwing Squall's necklace there during a fit the previous night. The words of the dream beast rang clearly in his head. It had been angry with Seifer hurting someone that it was suppose to protect. Could it be possible that whatever demon, or god, the pendant signified was meant to watch over Squall?
No wonder it couldn't protect him. I have the necklace, not Squall.
Seifer felt his insides twist in guilt. It was his fault that the brunet now laid somewhere in the city's dungeon. Who knows what tortures they had already subjected the man to. In the end the guards would kill Squall. But there was still time—to fix it, to change the death sentence.
"Only father can do that," Seifer argued and paced angrily back to his bedchambers to get dressed. It was true. Only the pharaoh had the right to who would live, and who would die. Seifer couldn't just stroll into the dungeon and demand that they release Squall. "I can't go up to father either. What the hyne am I suppose to say? 'Oh father, please let Squall go free. He attacked me, but I deserved it because I am such a prick.'"
Seifer sighed as he chose his clothes carefully. Despite his words, he did plan to go make a plea to the pharaoh. It would help if he wore clothes that were appropriate for the occasion; traditional long skirt[2], and a semi long robe that was open in the front. It was too hot to wear anything more. All of it was white, trimmed in patterns of gold. Seifer put on his amulets, rings and necklaces. Last of all, he picked up the lion cross from the floor. A chill ran up his spine as he stared at the beast that roared forever in silence. Whatever—whoever—the necklace resembled was the very creature that had invaded his dreams.
Seifer quickly stuffed the talisman into his robe pocket before he could lose himself in a daze. He hastily left the room with dark thoughts already brewing in his mind.
He walked down the halls, but didn't see where he was going. All he could focus on was how in the world he was going to convince his father that he needed to let Squall go free. Maybe he could mention that some unknown god was going to release its wrath onto him if any true harm came to Squall. Maybe that would work, maybe..
Upon rounding a corner, Seifer ran straight into an armored guard. The other man was smaller and stumbled backwards a few steps. He then stood tensely after a quick respectful bow. "Sorry sir."
The blonde didn't care and just waved the man way. If it had been any day in the past, Seifer would have at least given the other a sneer. But today it was nothing.
"Uh, Prince Almasy, I come with a message."
"Wh—make it quick," Seifer sighed while pressing two fingers to the bridge of his nose to try and ease the throbbing pain centered in the scar.
"Miss Rinoa would like to see you."
Now the sneer came, out of annoyance towards his cousin. Seifer had thought the woman would have been finished with him. Didn't she throw all her surprises at him the other day? "She's going to have to wait."
"She said it was urgent sir," The man responded.
"You—" Seifer pointed a finger at the stiff guard while sneering in disgust, "Tell her that she can just sit on her pretty little ass and wait until I find time for her. I have more important things to take care of right now."
Without waiting for a response, Seifer stepped around the man and continued his way towards the main hallway. The day was only getting worse. What could that meddling cousin of his want from him now?
Wants me to die, no doubt.
Seifer rolled his eyes as he entered the grand hallway. A plush dark red rug welcomed his bare feet. It wasn't comforting. The color only served to remind Seifer of past events and his disturbing dream. As he walked along, he couldn't help but think he was wading through a river a blood. Everywhere was blood; death; darkness. It clung to him like some foreshadowing sign of doom.
The walls gave way to a vast circular and high, arched ceiling. In the middle sat the pharaoh, and the empty chair besides him signified the place for his mistress. No doubt Seifer's mother was absent to frolic with her friends in the city. Male friends at that; men who kissed the ground she walked upon and would do anything for her in a heartbeat.
"Father," Seifer bowed at the waist. The man in the decorated chair turned his attention towards the blonde. Seifer remained in his humble position, staring intently at where the rug met marble; where the river of blood touched the shore.
"Yes? Rise. You are not a commoner, you are my son," The pharaoh responded, though his voice was tense.
Seifer remained bowing, "I've come to ask a favor of you."
"Ask and you shall receive."
"There was a man that attacked me last night and is now being held in the dungeon. I ask you to release him," Seifer bit down on his lip as he awaited his father's response.
"You can't be serious," his father laughed. "He must be punished for his crimes."
"I deserved it," Seifer growled while lifting his head. He watched as he father narrowed his eyes in a mixture of anger and disgust. "He did nothing wrong to me. I want him to be freed."
The pharaoh regarded his son in cold silence. His dark eyes burned into Seifer's jade, but the prince did not look away—he could not afford to submit to his father's decisions. Squall was in danger, and consequently, so was Seifer. The pharaoh finally broke the gaze to look elsewhere, "See the herbalist about that scar on your face."
Seifer glared. His father was changing the subject. "Father. He needs to be release—or something bad will happen."
"He will be punished, just like the others. The gods have already bestowed that fate upon this man." The pharaoh responded stubbornly with a sharp edge to his words.
"No. That is not the Gods wishes," Seifer shook his head. His father was so far from the truth. The gods—or one specific god—was angry, very angry about Squall's fate. "You need to rel—"
"You are dismissed," His father cut off his argument.
"Fa—"
"—I said you are dismissed, or do you go so far as to disrespect the pharaoh?"
I disrespect my father, not the pharaoh. Seifer sneered, then forced himself to bow. He turned and stormed out of the throne. Internally he knew that he could never waver his father decision. The man didn't think that these people were real. They were like animals, so it was all right if he killed on if it wronged him.
"How deaf and blind can you be!?" Seifer yelled at the walls as soon as he was a good distance away from the pharaoh. He would have struck the stone if he didn't have the sense to know that doing such would only result in immense pain. "What kind of pharaoh are you if you can't hear the will of the gods?"
The prince headed towards the east wing, regrettably going to see his cousin. He figured he might as well get it over with. She would, no doubt, have some bad news for him as well. He would take all the problems, and damn them to hell. It didn't matter, he didn't care anymore. The only thing he -did- care about was locked away from him.
"Rinoa!" Seifer shouted as he threw the silk curtains aside and barged into the sorceress' room. One of her female servants jumped then retreated into the hall in her fright. Rinoa was standing near the window, looking back at Seifer in curiosity.
"You don't have to yell. You know I am in here," She looked him over, taking in the clothes he was wearing. Her brown eyes laughed at him. "Been to see your father, have you?"
"Spare me the jests, or I shall rip that forked tongue out of your mouth. What do you want that requires my presence?" Seifer sneered. He really did not feel up to playing word games with Rinoa.
The sorceress briefly glared before turning back to her window to admire the sunrise. "You remember that one slave?"
Seifer growled at the last word. He picked up on how she stressed her last word, and, in a way, teased him with it. How he knew she was referring to Squall, he didn't know, and didn't put much thought into it before spitting out a retort. "His name is Squall. Get to the point."
"Yes, Squall.." Rinoa flashed her cousin a cruel, knowing smile. "It seems you have made it a point to get to know this slave. Visiting him during the night.."
"I happened to run across him when I was in the city," Seifer corrected. The way Rinoa had said it, it sounded like he was having some love affair with the brunette. Although Seifer found himself strongly attracted to the other, he didn't need that kind of gossip circulating through the palace. Just the thought of his father knowing about his unnatural desires made Seifer's head throb. "If you have something to say about him, say it."
"So I heard that he is being kept in the dungeon. How the guards love their new pet," She said lightly and smiled when Seifer twitched. "Does it disturb you to know this? After all, it was you who put him there in the first place."
"The point Rinoa, the point," Seifer lowly growled. She knew—she had to know about his feelings towards the brunette. There was no other explanation. Why else would she be toying with him? And if she did indeed know, why was she not trying to make him do something for her with that kind knowledge as blackmail?
Of course, if Squall is killed then there is nothing to barter with.
Rinoa took something off the windowsill and dangled it from her fingers. A ring of iron keys clacked noisily together. A set of prison keys; how she managed to get them, the prince did not want to know. Instead he narrowed his eyes suspiciously at the offer, "What do you want from me?"
"Stop thinking of me as such a wench, I don't want him to die either." She said while holding the keys at arm's length for the prince to take.
Seifer only narrowed his eyes further, "What are you getting out of this?"
"You know me too well," Rinoa glared, but it lessened until she finally smirked at the tall blonde. "The boy happens to have something that I want."
"Something that threatens your power here," Seifer added, knowing full well that she was referring to the lion pendant. He watched a familiar fire light up in the sorceress' brown eyes. "Because, you know, he will never let you have it."
"You shouldn't meddle with things you know nothing about," Rinoa hissed, and then threw the key ring at him.
Seifer easily caught the keys. There was something about her offer that he was missing, but the promising aspect of being able to free Squall was too tempting to contemplate consequences. "I know enough about him, and this object of his, to put two and two together."
Rinoa ruffled and crossed her arms with an annoyed leer, "You act like you know what is going on, but every second that you remain here is another second that Squall spends in the dungeon."
Seifer snorted. She was right about that. It was odd that she was giving him an excuse to leave. Did she, perhaps, really care about the well being of Squall?—no, that couldn't be possible. This was the woman who followed the motto: Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer. But her urgency to see Squall go free drew the prince's curiosity all the same.
He bowed his head to her, never lowering his eyes in a mock gesture of gratitude. Seifer then turned and left without further insults or retorts. His fingers curled around the iron circle that carried the keys. There was something wrong. Like it was all a trap. Yet, if he didn't go, Squall would be executed by nightfall. So, there really was no choice for him. Seifer had to save the other. Because..
Why?
Seifer drew his eyebrows together in thought. The prince never had really liked anyone in the past, so the emotions were new to him. Is this what people did when they were in lo—No. He did not love Squall. There was no way that could be. No.. it was because of the god. Seifer didn't want to die, that's why he was going to rescue Squall. Yeah, that was it.
"Besides, what bad could happen if I do release him? I'm the prince. There isn't much that can be done to punish me," Seifer nodded to himself as he walked the hallways. He headed for his room first. There was no way that he was going to go slinking around a dungeon dressed as he was. "Father will be angry, but he'll get over it.."
In his room, Seifer changed into a baggy pair of black pants that fit snuggly around the ankles and waist to keep the sand out. He took a dark green sash and threaded it through the sheath of his dagger, then he tied the sash around his waist. A bit of rummaging around his drawers brought forth a bag of gil—incase he needed to convince the guards to let him by. Seifer took off all his jewelry, spare his rings, before he pulled on a loose fitting long-sleeved black shirt. He slipped into a pair of sandals, tucked the iron key ring by his waist, and then grabbed the silver necklace off the dresser.
"I'm going to fix my mistake," Seifer grinned at the necklace before looping it around his neck and tucking the pendant under his shirt. A chill ran down his spine as he felt the metal touch against his bare skin. A strange sensation was running through his body, making his fingertips tingle.[3] Seifer gripped his dagger hilt to calm his nerves. He then quietly exited his room.
Moving through the hallways of the palace was the easy part. No one dared to stop him and ask him where he was going, or what he was doing. It was none of their business; being prince did have its good points. However, once Seifer got out into the dusty streets was when the eyes started to turn towards him in curious stares. The commoners were not as naïve as the palace servants. These people knew the prince was up to something. It wasn't every day that royalty went storming down the streets.
Somewhere along his way, Seifer drew a small crowd of followers. The riff-raff wanted to know what he was up to. Seifer tried to lose them by increasing his pace, but they followed nonetheless. What did they think? That he was going to toss out money to them?
Seifer paused and pulled his coin bag from his waist. He glared over his shoulder at the small group that was staring at him as if he were a piece of chicken. They were hungry, not for food, but for special attention, the clatter of gold, something that only Seifer could provide to them.
The prince dug out a few coins and tossed them into the dirt before their feet. They scrambled to pick up the pieces of gil. Seifer sneered. He wanted to comment on how pathetic they were, but instead he stomped down his arrogance. That kind of attitude was what had gotten him into trouble in the first place. Seifer turned and resumed his hasty walk.
The tall wall of the city limits came into view; much to Seifer's relief. The black garments he was wearing were hot under the high noon sun. The city walls blocked any wind coming in from the desert. Seifer would have welcomed it. Black clothes were designed to make the wearer sweat, and then when a wind came it would cool the sweat to relieve the wearer.
Seifer spotted the dungeon. A small building situated against the wall. It was larger than it looked, mainly because it was built underground. It made it cooler inside that way—made it so dead flesh didn't fester in the heat. A single guard was standing by the entrance. At this time of day, most of the men should have taken break to go eat lunch.
Seifer straightened his stance and took a deep breath of fresh air before he moved towards the entrance.
The guard saw the prince approaching. He looked confused, as if he wasn't sure it was really the pharaoh's son. Seifer shot a threatening glare at the man before simply walking past and down the stairs. He let out a held breath once inside. It was going to be easier getting inside than getting back out with Squall. That was assuming that Squall was still alive. The air was foul, reeking of death—it ate away at the hope Seifer was all but clinging to.
It can't be too late. It's only been a night. He's alive. I know he is.
The light from the stairs faded as Seifer finally set foot on level stone floor. A few torches lit the way. Perhaps the guards down here didn't want light, considering the stomach curling sights a person would have to look upon; starved men curled up in the corner of their cells, others chained against the walls with bodies that would be nothing more than bones with bits of rotting flesh still present—all the other flesh been eaten away by rats. Seifer didn't have to see to know what happened to the people down there. He could smell it, the stench of death, blood and despair. He had to get Squall out of there.
A whip cracked, echoing up the hallway to send a chill down Seifer's spine. The prince moved silently through the halls, nearly invisible in the darkness with his black clothes. His fingers found their grip around the dagger hilt at his waist. The silver pendant felt like it was burning against his chest. It was pulsating with energy. Seifer could feel it in every inch of his body. He took it as a sign that the god was angry—which meant Squall was being hurt.
Another crack filled the air as Seifer approached the end of the stone corridor. He paused when an abrupt turn twisted the hall and opened up into a larger room. The whipping continued. Seifer peered around the corner. First he noticed the guard wielding the whip. The man moved aside, letting the torch light breath life to the lines of red etched into ivory skin of some man's back.
"That outta make you fit in now," The guard announced while unshackling one of the victim's wrists. The prisoner immediately slumped towards the ground, only kept standing by the other wrist still encircled in iron. The guard freed that wrist, causing the other to fall to the ground. Seifer safely assumed the prisoner had passed out.
The burning at Seifer's chest intensified. The blonde put a hand over the small lump in his shirt. The pendant felt like it was burning; yet it did not pain him. In the past the necklace had never done anything like this. But now Seifer thought he understood. After his peculiar dream, it was like he was connected with the talisman. At the moment, the silver pendant was urging him to go forward. The prince could practically hear the roaring order in his mind.
Both of them knew who that unconscious prisoner had been. They were both angry at the red interlacing lines that had riddled the once faultless skin. Both of them were ready to do anything to get the prisoner out.
The guard picked up the unconscious form by the arm and dragged him down a different hall. Seifer silently slipped through the darkness after the pair. He was tempted to pick up the discarded whip and attack the guard. But there was a time and place for fighting, and the time was not now.
Seifer, for once, kept his temper under control.
Squall's body was dragged over the cold stone. The guard paused and doubled to open a wooden hatch that was in the middle of the floor. Seifer felt his heart leap as Squall's body was shoved down the trap door. Even from his distance, Seifer heard the muffled thud of the brunet's body hitting against the hay-covered floor below. The guard let the door fall close with a snap, and then swaggered off down the hall.
Anger. Concern. Guilt. Rage. Chaos. All of it swirled through Seifer's mind as he stared listlessly at trapdoor no more than a few steps ahead of him. He was near the point of panicking. What was he to do? This was not the simple open a locked door and freeing Squall. Seifer stepped forward and kneeled before the wooden hatch. He grabbed the metal hook and pulled it open. Directly below laid Squall, face down into the floor with closed eyes.
What do I do!? How do I get him out!? I.. can't.. I don't know what to do..
Seifer stared helplessly down at unconscious form. He didn't even know if the other was alive. It seemed like being thrown into a cell below the floor was some careless burial method. The blonde wanted to jump down the hole, just to be down there with Squall. Of course, common sense was there to tell him that if he indeed did go down, that there was no way to get out—but then how did the guards get to them? There had to be a way..
"Squall.." Seifer frowned at the form. The man below stirred. It was only a slight tensing of the muscles, but Seifer saw this and felt his heart soar. He was alive! The joy was immense, but tinged with the bitterness of guilt and fear. "Squall, I'm coming down, I'm.."
Seifer heard footsteps of the guard returning. The prince didn't want to be caught. He couldn't afford to be caught. If they found him, they would stop him. They would prevent him from saving Squall. That couldn't happen.
Without thinking. Seifer grabbed the stone edges and dropped himself down into the room. He hung for a few seconds, trying to judge the best place to land so he didn't step on Squall. His fingers were slipping on the stone. Seifer soon lost all hold and landed on all fours, hands and feet situated around the prone brunet. He quickly stood and retreated to the far side of the room—which wasn't far. Seifer pressed himself against the stonewalls to avoid being seen from above.
Footsteps from above echoed down the room. Seifer held his breath while staring up at the hole in the ceiling. To his relief, the wooden hatch came down. The guard didn't seem too concerned about it. Seifer let out his breath and let his eyes drop to the crumpled form in the middle of the room. He stepped forward and sank to his knees. Hands hovered above the other's broken skin.
"This is all my fault," Seifer frowned as he took in the damage dealt. There had to be at least fifteen different lines of bleeding red that criss-crossed along Squall's backside. There was no reason for the other to be punished. It was indeed Seifer's fault. He was the one who called the guards that night, who told them to put Squall in the dungeon.
"I'll never forgive myself for this. I don't deserve to be forgiven, but I will right my mistake," Seifer tightly closed his eyes to hide away the wounds. He truly, deeply wanted to change what had happened between them in the past. Perhaps if Seifer didn't have such a problem with expressing feelings, none of this would have happened. But no, all he could do was be angry and spit out sarcastic remarks. He always had to ruin everything for everyone—even for himself. "Squall, don't worry.. I'm going to take care of everything.. I'm going to get you out of here.."
Seifer let his fingers touch the pale skin between the whip marks. It felt cold and clammy, then it suddenly began to feel numb and his fingertip began to tingle. Seifer cracked open his eyes. He peered down at the blue-green energy swirling around his hand. It drifted away from his hand and spread itself over Squall's back. Seifer watched as the wounds clotted, scarred then faded to nothing but faint pink lines. The blue energy caressed over the skin of Squall's back, washing away the blood with invisible water. Then it all simply disappeared.
Magic. But.. how..?
Seifer looked down at his hand again, this time catching the eerie glow at his chest. The silver pendant seemed to be radiating some sort of light that he could see through the black threads of his shirt. It then faded along with the scars. Was this how the god protected Squall?
The brunet groaned then stirred on the floor. Seifer snapped out of his daze and laid a hand on Squall's back. Squall immediately stilled, tensing against the stone floor. Seifer frowned, knowing Squall was awake but for some reason he was refusing to open his eyes or even acknowledge Seifer's presence.
"I'm sorry that I didn't give it back. It was angry that it couldn't protect you," Seifer spoke, referring to the necklace. Perhaps he could get Squall to relax; to know that no more harm was going to come to him.
Idly, Seifer traced his fingers along one of the many faint scars that littered Squall's back. Every one of the painful marks was his fault, and the prince was mentally counting up how many times he would have to ask for forgiveness. "I'm sorry.."
It was funny in a way. Spitting out apology after apology and knowing that it would never mend anything. Soon the words would mean nothing and Seifer would have to find some other way to fix things.
Gently rolling Squall onto his back, Seifer wait a moment or two for the other to open his eyes. He knew the other was awake because Squall was as stiff as a board. "Playing dead isn't going to help.."
No response. Seifer titled his head and eyed the other's expressionless face. Jade eyes traced the dark scar between the other's closed eyes. Fine. If Squall wanted to be stubborn, then Seifer was just going to have to force him to wake up.
"I know you're listening Squall," Seifer tested for a reaction. As he guessed, the brunet didn't move a muscle. "I don't know how many times I have to tell you I'm sorry before it loses all meaning."
The blonde leaned over the other, taking a closer examination of his face. Without the blue-gray eyes to advert his attention, Seifer found himself staring at the scar that was caused by his own two hands. That mark was the one that Seifer regretted most. At least he didn't feel so bad now that he had a matching one on his own face. Still, he had to make it right..
"Did I ever express how sorry, and guilt ridden I am for this?" Seifer mused while reached out to lightly trace his finger down the scar running between Squall's eyes. He smiled when the brunet drew his eyebrows together but still refused to open his eyes.
"It must have hurt. I know from experience that it did," Seifer laughed at his own dry humor. He ran his finger over Squall's scar again before leaning down and planting a soft kiss on the mark. It was a simple gesture that the prince had been yearning for. The contact of his lips to the other's skin was almost exhilarating—almost. Seifer pulled himself away before his mind could get carried away. When he pulled back, he found a pair of slate gray eyes staring blankly up at him.
"A kiss makes it all better. Didn't your mother ever do that for you?" Seifer jested, glad to have the other responding—even if it was a small change such as opening the eyes.
"..No.." Squall tonelessly replied. His expression was resembled that of stone. Seifer couldn't tell if the other was angry, confused, delighted. It was just impossible to decipher at the moment.
"That's alright. Neither did my mother," Seifer lazily grinned before standing to his feet. He examined the room before spotting a wooden door on one side. That was a relief. Seifer was afraid that he was going to be stuck down there for days. He still might be, unless he figured a way to escape. The keys he got from Rinoa had become useless now. Stupid him.
"What are.. you doing here?" Squall's voice quietly questioned.
Seifer turned around to see that the brunet was sitting up and touching his recently healed back. His eyebrows were knitted together in severe confusion. Though, when he noticed Seifer looking at him, Squall resumed his impassive appearance.
"Visiting you?" Seifer tilted his head at the other. He smiled when Squall narrowed his eyes in annoyance. Seifer then turned back to the door, "I'm getting you out of here."
"Why?"
"Don't tell me you want to stay here," Seifer glanced over his shoulder. He didn't want to explain himself all over again. It was much easier to talk to Squall when the other was playing unconscious. Joking and teasing came more smoothly when he was awake.
"What if I do?" Squall bitterly retorted.
Seifer watched the other try to stand, but his efforts only caused him to sink back to the floor when his legs gave out. The blonde frowned. He knew Squall wasn't big on accepting help from others. But wasn't it a little ridiculous to be refusing help at a time and situation like this?
"Squall," Seifer spoke firmly to grip the other's attention. "Listen. I'm sorry—and I know that doesn't mean anything to you. But I'm going to try and make things right, and first thing I am going to do is get you out of this mess.."
Silence greeted his vague explanation. Seifer turned his attention back to the door. He experimentally banged his fist on the wood a few times. It echoed horribly in the small room. There should be a guard around; one that would make sure the prisoners wouldn't cause trouble. With that in mind, Seifer started pounding on the door.
This is the right thing to do. Even if he says he doesn't want it. He doesn't' have to thank me. I just have to do this..
"Seifer stop.."
I know I'm the last person he expects help from, but let him be surprised. I can change.
"Seifer. Stop it. Just.. stop."
Even I have a conscious. I know I was wrong. I have the chance to make it right. I'm not going to pass up this chance..
"Seifer!"
The blonde stopped pounding on the door. He glanced over his shoulder. Squall was standing now, using the wall as a balance. He was glaring. There was something else swirling in the gray blue storms. It was familiar to Seifer, but he couldn't quite place the emotion. "What?"
"Stop it. Just leave, would you? Leave me alone." Squall's voice stayed firm, but it couldn't completely mask over the despair that echoed in the words.
I can't just leave you. Seifer frowned and looked away. Getting you out of here is the only thing I will do right in my life.
"And just how do you propose that I get out of here?" Seifer resorted to old habits to avoid expressing his concern for the other. He arched a golden eyebrow at the other in question. Squall went quiet, but retained his cold scowl. "I'm taking you out of here and there is nothing you can say, or do, that is going to stop me."
Seifer forced a cheerful smile onto his face. He turned to pound on the door again, but paused when he heard footsteps over stone floor. This time it wasn't from above. Instead it came from the hallway. Seifer banged his fist against the wood a few more times. "Hey! Guard!"
"Eehh, Shut up," The voice was now on the other side of the door. Seifer backed away as the metal slit was pulled aside to reveal the eyes of the prison guard.
"About time," Seifer grinned. He held up his hand to the slit in the door. The guard eyed the gold ring on the blonde's finger. Not just any ring, but one bearing the crest of the Almasy family. "I don't like wait."
"How the hell.. who.. how did you.." The guard stuttered in his confusion.
"That's none of your business," Seifer sternly spoke. He didn't need the guard to start thinking of reasons. What he needed was the man to mindlessly follow orders while he was still confused. "Now. Open the door."
"I ain't doin' nuthin'" The guard growled. "This is sum trick."
"You want to tell that to my father?" Seifer easily threatened. It wouldn't be the first time that he used his father's position as pharaoh to get out of trouble. The people feared the wrath of an Almasy, and they had every right to be afraid. "Open the door now and maybe I will forget this little mishap."
Muttering curses, the guard slid the metal over the small opening. Seifer heard the jangle of keys on the other side. Perfect. Everything was working out so far. The blonde gestured for Squall to come to the door, but the brunet did not comply. Seifer glanced to see the other still leaning up against the wall looking more pale than usual.
"Don't be stubborn now. It's either you walk out of here on your own free will or I drag you out. Whatever you chose is fine by me," Seifer grinned mischievously.
Scowling, Squall moved towards the door. He made it a few steps before collapsing to the floor—except he never hit it, because Seifer was there to catch him. The blonde frowned down at his opposite, "What's wrong?"
Squall sighed and tried to straighten himself; pushing away from Seifer's body. "Cure may heal wounds, but it doesn't replace blood or energy.."
"Cure? That's what it was?" Seifer laughed nervously at the thought of himself using magic. He took one of Squall's arms and looped it over his shoulders and wrapped his own arm around Squall's slender waist. The brunet was glaring daggers at him, but Seifer just smiled back, glad to have the excuse to be near the other. "Would you rather me carry you? I wouldn't mind.."
"Whatever," Squall turned his face away from the amused emerald gaze.
"That's the spirit," Seifer chuckled as the wooden door swung open revealing one aggravated guard. Slowly Seifer walked both Squall and himself towards the door, but the guard stood in the middle, blocking their passage. "You can move aside now."
"You can go, but he stays." The guard gestured to Squall.
Seifer tightened his grip on Squall's waist; protectively pulling him closer. "He comes with me. Move out of my way."
"He stays. The law states that he is to be executed," The guard grunted, refusing to move.
Tensing, Seifer narrowed his eyes at the guard. Out of the corner of his eyes he saw the way Squall's head dropped forward. Defeated. Surrendering.
Never Surrender.
Had so much changed to cause Squall to lose his willpower? It was still there. Seifer had seen it just moments before. There was still pride and determination there. Seifer wouldn't let the brunet fade; he would not let him die.
But now was the choice. Seifer could pay the guard off, which would be the easy way out. But the blonde did not like the idea of bending to someone else's will. A second choice would be to use a silver-tongue to trick his way out of the dungeon. But deceit and lies was a woman's way. There was only one last choice. Seifer would do it the Almasy way.
"If he dies, I will make sure that he isn't the only one," The words fell coldly from his lips. It would have be nicer if Seifer could reached his dagger to stress his point, but he was a bit preoccupied with holding onto Squall—both to keep the brunet up right, but also because.. it just felt nice to be helping the other, to hold him..
The guard mulled over the threat in his mind. Seifer tried to straighten himself to his full imposing height, but Squall was shorter and the arm over his shoulders kept the prince from looking down upon the guard. Instead he glared, not angrily, but a cold empty leer. Seifer knew how to make threats. Always speak sharp, clearly and to the point. Never back down. Never look away from the enemy. Never over-do threats or the enemy will see the bluff. Always keep control. Never show emotions. Remind them who is in charge.
"Move out of my way," Seifer kept himself from sneering. He could see the guard slowly leaning back, ready to step aside. Yet there was still the defiance that kept him in place. Seifer moved forward, ready to shoulder the other aside to get through if he had to. "Don't be a fool. I can have your family hanging along side you if you truly wish. Think about that for a moment.."
Seifer smirked as the guard narrowed his eyes. To threaten a man's family was a dangerous move—the perfect move. "At my word, the men who once stood as your friends would turn and seize your wife and children without a second thought. All because you wouldn't step aside and let the prince through."
The man grunted and moved back. Seifer smiled, wickedly, he loved winning. It was a part of himself that he hated. The part that loved to beat others down. His arrogance. His pride. It was the wrong traits to live by. Yet, he couldn't help it. It was who he was. .. an Almasy.
"Good boy," Seifer walked through, guiding Squall over the stone floor. The brunet was trying to ignore him, even though he was right there, brushing skin to skin with every stride. It was amazing how well Squall could just pretend some things just did not exist. If he wanted, Seifer could swear Squall would deny that he needed to breath in order to live.
"I told you everything was going to be alright," Seifer whispered down at his silent partner.
"Hn," Squall grunted, sounding unconvinced.
They reached the stairs and Seifer led them up, smiling happily that nothing bad had happened. He was able to get to Squall before they hurt him—too much. They had not ended up fighting, that was always a plus. And now they were escaping, no strings attached. Just a few more stairs and they would once again be in the sunlight and out of the foreboding darkness.
But what then?
Seifer had never been much of a methodical person. He would always act upon impulse than logic. The plan had been to free Squall. That was now completed, which left the question: Now what?
I have to get him somewhere safe. Seifer bit down on his lower lip. He knew if he left Squall in the city, his father would have him seized and publicly executed at once. No one dared to disrespect the pharaoh. No one except his son.
The pair neared the top of the stairs. Seifer could hear some sort of commotion outside. His heart rate began to increase. If there were people outside, that was more witnesses to go and tell his father. They would ruin everything.
The blonde stepped out into the sunlight. The voices fell silent at once. Seifer froze and tightened his grip on Squall.
No..
Jade eyes locked on a robed figure. A tall man that stood out like a peacock among the pigeons. A man whose cold onyx eyes were brimming with suppressed anger.
It can't be..
His father. The pharaoh. The very last person that Seifer wanted to see was standing in the middle of the street. A slender figure in white was by his side, smiling cruelly. It was Rinoa.
So this is what her plan was..
"I told you, your highness," Rinoa's voice spoke out. Her face was glowing like the sun; obviously she was quite pleased with herself. "Your son disobeys your words."
Why does she do this..
Seifer let his eyes drop to the floor in a sign of defeat. He didn't know what to do. This was the end. Seifer let the last pieces hope wither and die inside his chest. How stupid of him to think he could get away unscathed. He had lost.
"I didn't want to believe it. I never wanted to see the day were my own son would lie to me, and break the law," The pharaoh started, letting the words sting.
Seifer didn't really hear the man. He was sinking into his mind to escape the emotional abuse. He disgraced his father, his family. Never could he live up to his father's standards. He was worthless, stupid, naïve—
"Seifer.."
The blonde felt a hand lightly squeezing his arm. Jade eyes switched from the ground to look at his side. Two deep blue eyes stared back at him in question. Seifer felt the faintest tug at the corner of his lips. He gave in and softly smiled at the brunet at his side. Squall had reminded him that he couldn't give up. There was someone counting on him to make it all right.
"Never in history has there been a pharaoh's son that did what you have done unto me. Never would a pharaoh's son put so much disgrace upon the throne. Never would a son disobey his father—"
"Then you have no son," Seifer raised his eyes to his father. The words caught the pharaoh off guard. The blonde released Squall's waist and used the hand to pry a gold ring off his finger. He tossed it into the dirt at the other man's feet. As the ring of metal buried itself into the dirt, Seifer felt an invisible burden lift from his shoulders.
"What--?"
Seifer didn't care to repeat himself. He wrapped his arm back around Squall's waist and steered them for the city gates. The crowd parted to allow the prince and former slave pass through.
"You can't just let them go!" Rinoa shattered the silence. She looked angrily at the pharaoh who was only looking down at the dirt where the gold ring laid.
Seifer smiled to himself. He felt free at last. Did Squall feel the same? The prince glanced to his quieter half. The brunet looked bewildered. Hey, it wasn't every day that a prince chose a slave over a wealthy family and future throne.
"Squall!" A voice from the crowd shouted. A small figure broke through the line of people and scampered towards them.
Seifer halted and stared at the petite woman standing before him. She smiled brightly up at him—and odd gesture in Seifer's opinion. She pushed something into his hands, a jar of sorts. "Put that on his wounds. It numbs the pain."
"Wha—" Seifer didn't have time to question before the girl retreated back towards the crowd. She halted and turned on them, giving her best motherly scowl.
"You better take care of him," With that, she turned and pushed past a blonde hair man.
Seifer shifted his eyes to the bright blue eyes that were glaring at him. He recognized the commoner to be Zell. Seifer smirked. Don't worry. I'm not going to hurt him..
The prince shook his head lightly then tugged Squall forward to continue their walking. The gates were just a few more strides. It would open up the desert to them. From there they had a long walk ahead of them..
End Chapter.
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[1] I never knew what Griever looked like. I never beat the game. I looked around google to find an image and all I found was an action figure. But! I did go and beat the game these past few weeks. I thought it would be hard. I was deceived!
[2] I hate thinking of them in a skirt, but that is what they wore back then! I made him change later. I couldn't stand it.
[3] I know it doesn't explain, but at that point Seifer is junctioned to Griever. I made it unclear, because Seifer doesn't know anything about that stuff. So, yeah, in my story, if you wear some enchanted item, you can use its powers. It didn't really say how they junctioned GFs in FFVIII anyway.
Author's Notes: I just wanted to say I hated this chapter. I had to force myself through a writer's block. I just think the chapter could have been a lot better if my thoughts were more collected. It all seems vague and empty. I'm sorry if I disappointed ya'll with this update. There is going to be one more chapter to this story before it ends, then I have to work on the sequel (which is going to be much better than this) This story, was more like my way of setting up the past.
Insane Keyblader: Does that dream count as talking to Griever again? ^^,
Poetry in Despair: This is my first fic and you want me to write a sex scene!? Eeee! *falls* Anyway, I uh, was thinking that the rating would go up as the story progressed. But uh.. X_x