Chapter Forty-Six- Divided We Fall
When Terra stepped down the stairs in her evening dress, she was surprised to see Celes running inside from the courtyard. A few moments later, Locke came in also, and Terra stared as they ran two different directions. A thought came back to her that she often had about her comrades in arms….that they were a very weird group indeed. She walked towards the dining hall and gasped as she pushed open the doors. Everything was brilliantly lit, all twelve of the hall's chandeliers blazing and glittering. A couple of maids were still setting silverware and glasses, but Edgar was standing at the head of the table, observing it all. Terra at once thought he looked very regal and fine, in an all black royal garb including an ebony cape that made a deep contrast with his pulled back golden hair and ocean eyes. Edgar tilted his head some, and Terra smiled more, realizing just how handsome the King of Figaro was. However, that thought quickly faded when she realized he was just trying to peek under the maids' skirts.
"Edgar!" Terra cried, and Edgar immediately looked up, not a trace of shame on his face.
"Terra!" He exclaimed. "My, don't you look a vision tonight. White looks so beautiful on you, and your hair is so thick and voluptuous when it is down…you should take up that look more often."
"I would, but I find it difficult to fight for my life in formalwear." Terra replied dryly. He merely laughed and came to her, wrapping her arms around her waist and swinging her around as if she were his bride. Terra turned red and looked around, making sure no one could see them.
"Edgar, my dear friend, I am not your toy!"
Edgar set her down and winked.
"Not yet, my sweet…"
"Brother, honestly, you need to keep all appendages of your body to yourself," Sabin groaned, sailing in and looking very handsome himself, being that Terra had never seen him anything more then some sort of shorts and muscle shirt ensemble.
"I agree," Terra smiled, and walked towards the table, where Sabin rushed over to pull out a chair for her. Soon, the other Returners began to trickle in for their dinner appointment, all dressed in the best Figaro Castle could offer. Relm and Gau looked particularly adorable, with Relm's natural spiral curls not hidden by her hat and Gau's stylish ruffian look with his crookedly done buttons and crooked hat. Gau even pulled out Relm's chair, and everyone chuckled. When Locke tried to pull out Celes' chair, she gave him a look and he let her do it herself. The maids and domestics starting pouring in from the kitchen, bringing every good imaginable out onto the table and serving out portions of what everyone requested. After they had finally cleared and people had food on their plates, Edgar leaned in and cleared his throat.
"Apparently, some of you have some good stories to tell," he started. "A lot has happened this week…" He frowned. "But surprisingly, Kefka hasn't seemed to make one move against us. I'm a little concerned."
"Well we haven't heard from him as of late also," Terra offered, taking a sip of wine.
"We heard something, kupo," Mog suddenly burst out, and everyone turned to the small creature that needed to sit on books to be able to reach the table to eat.
"What happened?" Edgar asked, and Mog fluttered his wings a little. Perhaps a sign of nervousness.
"Relm, Gau, Setzer, and I went back to the Tower of Fanatics to do a little exploring…"
"What?!" Strago barked. "Relm, I TOLD you were not to go anywhere without my permission last week!"
"Oh Grandpa," Relm rolled her eyes. "My trip with you was so boring that I had to do something exciting, or else I would rust." Strago looked like he was about to explode, and glared over at Setzer.
"And for Gods' sakes, you took her there!"
"Relm just said she needed a ride," Setzer winked. "Don't ask, don't tell."
"Oh my Gods…" Strago slumped down in his chair and took a huge gulp of wine.
"Let's not interrupt each other anymore," Edgar offered, because Mog looked scared to death that he had even brought things up. "Any information any one of us might have could be valuable, and we need to listen."
Wow. Terra thought, a little surprised. Edgar certainly can sound like a King when he wants to…
"Well…kupo…anyway…we went back to the tower. Since Relm had been there before, we sort of knew what to expect. There were still many people pacing around, still in the same trance, kupo. But this time, we were able to get past them and actually get into the tower. We thought it would be fun to explore." Relm grinned, and Strago polished off his drink. A maid quickly fluttered out to pour him more. "The whole Tower was cursed somehow…the only thing we could do to eliminate our enemies was use magic. They were totally invulnerable to any weapon, kupo. Luckily, we only ran into one or two people that wanted to stop us. I scared the rest away with my special Moogle Charm." Mog lifted the pink and gold pendant around his neck, and Celes blinked.
"Mog, what is that?"
"Just a little good luck charm for us small, innocent animals, kupo!" Mog winked. "And it will only ward away evil for Moogles, so don't even think about stealing it, Locke." Locke blinked out of his salivating trance as he stared at the pendant and shook his head quickly, flustered.
"Something like that wouldn't sell for anything anyway…"
"Near the top floor, we ran into something interesting," Setzer smirked. "A good-sized white dragon that seemed to love using holy magic on us."
"The Holy Dragon!" Celes cried. "Another one of the eight legendary dragons…what happened?"
"We defeated it, of course," Relm said. "And I have to say, it was easy."
"It wasn't THAT easy," Setzer explained. "But we still managed it easy enough."
"Hard part came later," Gau said. "When we got the shiny!"
"The shiny…is this." Setzer reached in his pocket and pulled out a small box. Opening it, he revealed a golden, gemstone-studded ring that glimmered in the night. However, when he pulled the ring out, it was revealed to be square shaped, and not round like any other normal ring. Everyone started passing it around for a closer look.
"The fanatics were calling it "The Gem Box"," Mog explained. "And they were mad when we took it. They said it was a treasure for Master Kefka."
"Really…" Cyan took the ring, looking it over and slipping it on his finger. Nothing happened. He shrugged, took it off, and handed it to Gogo.
"They sent a phantom after us, but it turns out The Phoenix is a really excellent Esper," Relm said. "It saved our asses a few times."
"What?!" Locke cried. "When did you swipe that?!"
"Chill out," Relm yawned. "I returned it, you didn't even notice it was gone, I see." Now it was Locke's turn to take a big drink. Perhaps his extra sensatory thief powers were fading.
"So we know that Kefka wanted this…or that they wanted to give it to him." Terra was now holding the ring, looking it over and holding it up to the light. "Does it make you invisible or something?"
"It didn't do anything to Cyan," Gogo pointed out.
"I don't know why everyone would be clamoring for a ring that made you invisible anyway," Relm scoffed. "That's a boring power."
Terra put it back in the box and set it on the table by Edgar.
"So did anything else happen?" Edgar questioned.
"Hmm, after we store The Gem Box, we just bolted out of there," Setzer explained. "But I did take the kids out for ice cream afterwards. You know, reward for good behavior and all that."
"You're lucky you're alive," Strago moaned. Relm sighed.
"Grandpa, you're never gonna believe that I can stand up for myself. I've killed two dragons now. TWO! That's not bad for an eleven year old."
"Speaking of dragons, there was also another, right Setzer?" Gogo asked. Setzer nodded.
"Gogo, Cyan, Shadow, and I were trying to get information at The Opera House, and it turns out a dragon had moved in there and no one could get it to leave. It hadn't killed anyone, but it tried to give Impresario a nasty bite," Setzer explained. "It was actually very small compared to its brethren, but…it ended up summoning an earth quake that broke the stage in half after we defeated it, so now The Opera House is going to be closed for a while."
"Perhaps that was the Earth Dragon…" Celes trailed off, counting on her fingers. "Storm, Ice, Fire, Holy, and Earth…And if it was, that means there are only three dragons left." She looked up. "Did anyone else find any more dragons while they got information?" Everyone shook their heads.
"Besides the Earth Dragon, Impresario didn't know anything," Setzer said, and gave a little sigh. "Apparently, Maria has been MIA for a little over a year…so I couldn't even steal a little kiss."
"Mmmm…so what else has occurred?" Edgar asked. "Strago, you and Relm returned to Thamasa as well, did you not?"
"We did," Strago replied. "You see, for the first time in fifty years, Ebot's Rock has risen from the ocean. It's just a tiny island with a cave on it, but in legend it was a popular site for those of us with magic in our blood to go and pray to the Espers for protection. The last time I had been there, however, was when I was much younger, a teenager. My friend Gungho and I used to hunt the monster Hidon, although it was pretty elusive. When it did show itself, it would beat us pretty badly."
"So when we went back to Thamasa, we learned that Gungho had attempted to hunt Hidon again," Relm explained. "And he was very badly hurt in bed. He asked Grandpa to avenge him!"
"But taking on Hidon in my old age sounded out of the question…" Strago sighed. "I hesitated, but seeing the look on Relm and Gungho's face snapped me out of it. I left for Ebot's Rock at once! And Relm insisted on following me, even though I told her it was too dangerous."
"The cave that Hidon was in sucked," Relm added. "There was a mystical treasure chest that demanded we fill it with Coral before it let us pass through." Edgar got a confused look on his face.
"Are you being serious?"
"Would I lie?!" Relm demanded, and the rest of the table tried not to comment.
"It is true," Strago replied. "The area around Thamasa has always been mystical and strange, even before the time of the Espers. At once, Relm and I gathered the coral. The cave was very dark and ridden with monsters…"
"Uh…yeah, those wild chickens that had gotten in there were crazy," Relm mumbled.
"But at last, we had filled the chest with coral, and he let us through!" Strago declared, getting more into it. "But suddenly, there he was…the phantom beast Hidon! He was as ugly as I remembered him, a mess of green, rotting, messy flesh with six heads! Relm and I were so brave as we struck it over and over again with our staves and cast the mightiest of blue magic spells! Finally, we struck Hidon down, and I was able to learn the greatest blue magic lore ever written in our tomes! The Grand Train!!" Cyan and Sabin's ears perked up at the idea of a magical train spell, thinking back to their little "adventure" on the Phantom Train.
"Yeah…" Relm rolled her eyes. "So we went back, told Gungho he was avenged, and Grandpa spent the entire night retelling the tale over and over to anyone who could listen. It was a party. The bad news is though, we didn't get any info about Kefka."
"Your bravery for your friend was absolute!" Cyan exclaimed, tears of joy in his eyes. "Surely you are one of the finest warriors of our land!"
"Oh Cyan, it was the battle of a lifetime…" Strago began to tell him more, and Relm looked away, resting her cheek against her hand. Edgar blinked and scratched his head. What was the battle with Kefka going to be? A bloody picnic?
"I raided all the locked buildings in Narshe," Locke offered. "I found an old shield that looked like it had been rust to start out with, and the owner of the weapon shop was holed inside his bedroom. He gave me a sword he had forged. Called it the Ragnarok."
"What's it like?" Celes asked.
"Just a sword," Locke smiled. "Pretty lightweight though. I don't know, I don't think it's anything special. Haven't really had a chance to use it yet. I find that 99 of the time most things worth anything are the things you gotta steal!"
"Oh dear!" Terra laughed a little. She was pretty sure Locke was being dead serious.
"Oh, OH!" Gau exclaimed. "Gau go back to Veldt to get stronger, yes? Gau learn from cave that people gather together to fight the dinosaur that drive them from their home. People won!"
"What?" Celes gasped. "Are you serious? The villagers killed the dinosaur?"
"Maybe you inspired them," Sabin winked, and Celes blushed.
"Oh no…I am hardly an inspiration to anything…But I am glad that they found the strength and courage to take their village back…it makes me feel better." Edgar sighed and tapped his fingers on the table.
"So…we got various swords and rings and dragons, but unfortunately we are no closer to figuring out anything Kefka might have in store for us…" Edgar sounded slightly sarcastic. "If we just invade his tower and attack…will that be a wise idea? Would that be an invitation for casualties?"
"I'm afraid we might not have any choice…" Sabin turned to his brother. "Like it has been said before…we don't even know if Kefka knows of our existence…it would be the surprise of his life if he was only just finding out before we stop him. But…still…to risk any of our lives…I don't want that." Edgar looked down, pensive. He clutched his hands into fists.
"Right, we don't seem to know much of anything…" Celes trailed off. "The last I heard from Kefka was when he attacked Tzen…things have been quiet since then." She sighed. "But…I am willing to sacrifice anything, including myself."
"Yes, me too," came a mumbled chorus from around the table. Being a Returner and bringing the world back to the way it was meant being willing to die. It was something they had all been willing to accept over the course of the past year, especially in the past few months together.
"Damn it!" Edgar cried, slamming down his fists on the table. Everyone stopped talking and looked up at him. His face was scrunched up and red, and he was shaking. "All we can say is "I don't know!" Kefka…that bastard! Somehow, I know he's just playing with us…just like he was before the world's downfall. We were nothing but pawns in his game, and so many lives were lost. There was nothing we could do to stop what happened one year ago…now the world is decaying underneath our feet. Still, after all our hard work and sacrifice, that clown manages to come up on top!!!"
There was dead silence. Edgar groaned and stood up, pushing his chair back so hard that it clattered on the floor. He stormed out of the room dining hall, slamming the double doors behind him, and there came a sniffle. Terra's head was down, and her eyes were tearing.
"Celes…" She whimpered. "None of us are going to die…I won't let it happen."
"Terra…" Celes bit down on her lip. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. But the thing is…I'm willing to look at the reality of the situation. The situation is grave. This is something none of us have ever encountered before…and we're diving into it blind."
"You're so cold!" Terra suddenly screamed, looking up, her eyes red. "Why do you have to be like that Celes? Why do you have to be so god damn stoic about everything?! You brought us together again, and now you're trying to say you think we may not make it? We WILL make it! Look at the terrible things you made Edgar say." Terra heaved and took in a deep breath. Her mind was jumbled with confusion and sadness. She couldn't even hear the words flying out of her mouth
"What…?" Celes shook her head, and stood up. "I don't make anyone say anything they don't WANT to say. In fact, I agree with him a little. I've tried being hopeful through all this, but it's very hard to continue harboring that hope after all of our hard work that leads to nothing. I've tried to be brave, too, but you act as if I am heartless. I am not that woman anymore, Terra. Even though my body lives, General Celes Chere still DIED the day I threw myself off the island cliff." With that, Celes spun on her heel and ran out of the dining hall, also slamming the doors. Terra clasped her hand over her mouth, eyes widened. Locke sunk in his chair, and the others began talking all at once.
"Celes tried to kill herself…?" Locke trailed off. He looked at Sabin, who looked very uncomfortable.
"She told me she tried to commit suicide when she woke up and Cid had died," Sabin replied quietly. "But she survived the fall and woke up. That's when she found your bandana and decided to make her way to the rest of us." Locke rested his hand on his forehead, feeling dizzy.
"Thank you…for saving me. You'll never know…you'll never know just what you did when…"
Locke turned back to Sabin. "What other secrets have you been keeping, eh?" Sabin turned red.
"I'm not keeping secrets!" He cried. "It's not like that, Locke." Locke, disturbed enough as it was, got up and made his exit as well, throwing up his arms and cursing. Sabin slid his fingers through his hair and let out a loud sigh.
"Oh my Gods…" Terra shook her head and moaned. "All of this building tension and pain…I've been trying to shake it for too long, and it has gotten the best of me. Look at what I've done."
"It's ok, it's no one's fault," Sabin offered, giving Terra a tight hug. "This is too stressful for all of us. It's frustrating, not knowing what to do next and how to go about doing it. We're going to fight this the best way we can, and the best way is without anyone having to die. We just have to figure it out."
Cyan sighed and pushed away his nearly-full plate of food. "I need to meditate on all of this. I need to go back to Doma and be with Elaine and Owain…"
"Hey…I'll come with you," Sabin replied. "If you would like the company." Locke will probably lynch me if I stay here tonight…
"I'll keep you company as well," Shadow replied a little gruffly. He had to admit he had a slight connection with the two idiots who had dragged him with them through the Phantom Train together. Plus, it would probably be hard for Cyan to go back there alone.
"Doma? I've never been there, kupo!" Mog exclaimed. "Mog will come too!"
"Thank you, my dear friends…" Cyan smiled. "What a lucky star I must have been born under to have you. I would like to only go for the evening. I feel that will be enough time."
"Well, if everyone is leaving, then I am going to bed early," Relm declared. "Ya'll should make up or whatever and stop being bitchy so we can hurry up and kill Kefka. I want to get back to my painting in Jidoor."
"Yes…bed sounds like a good idea," Terra mumbled, took a bite of food.
Everyone began to go their separate ways for the night. The boys who were planning to go to Doma went outside to warm up the airship. Terra began to just aimlessly wander the castle, hoping that she would not run into anyone. Relm ran up the stairs to her bedroom in the palace, anxious to get some drawing in before she went to sleep. When she got to her bedroom, she jumped onto her bed, reaching over and grabbing her sketchbook from the nightstand. She flipped past a few pages, took a pencil, and first began writing out a diary entry, which she tried to do everyday before she drew.
The dinner was more interesting than I thought tonight. Turns out, everyone was really pissed off about Kefka and let it all out right in the middle of the meal. Grandpa is kind of mad at me because he found out I snuck off to the Tower of Fanatics with Gau, Mog, and Setzer. Locke is mad too because I borrowed his Phoenix Magicite. But I'm sure they will both get over it.
Also, tonight Grandpa told everyone about what happened in Thamasa. It was boring to hear yet AGAIN, but I'm really happy that things worked out. Grandpa hasn't been the same since…he's been full of energy and actually cheerful. He felt so bad after we rescued him from the tower, and blamed himself every night for not being with me. I didn't want things to be like that though…I want Grandpa to know he is still the most important man in my life, and that he is my hero no matter what. Grandpa thinks that if I ever find my father, I'll abandon him. But I've told him over and over so many times that it was he who raised me and taken care of me, not my father. In fact, I think if I ever do meet my father, I will give him a big punch in the face first instead of a kiss. I'm sure Mother wouldn't mind.
So, that's why I don't feel bad about what I did in Thamasa. I was surprised Gungho even agreed to do it…that man is more of a stubborn jackass than Grandpa. He was such a terrible actor though…I can't believe Grandpa really thought he was dying! Even I cringed at how bad it was, and I'm supposed to be the naïve one. At any rate, at least it got Grandpa's ass out the door and to Ebot's Rock. Hopefully, Gungho will take our little secret to his grave…or else I'll have to put him there early! Ha ha, I crack myself up-
There came a knock on Relm's door. Quickly slamming her book shut and jumping up from bed, she ran to answer it. She was surprised to see Sabin standing there, considering she and him did not share many words that often.
"Sabin! Aren't you leaving to go Doma soon?"
"Yeah…" Sabin nodded. "But there was actually something I wanted to ask you before I go. You're really the only person that can answer my question."
"Wow…that's the first time I've ever heard those words uttered," Relm laughed and got a hold of herself. "Anyway…what do you want to know?" Sabin paused for a moment and finally spoke.
"Well, if this gets too personal, please tell me to stop…but like I said, you are the only one I think could give me a truthful answer based on your life experience…What would you do if someone close to you might know who your father is, and you have never met the man yourself? Would you want them to tell you so you could try to figure things out, or would you rather not know?" Relm felt her face go pale. The question had totally come out of the blue for her. She wondered why Sabin wanted to know.
"I…" Relm trailed off, feeling her heart beat faster. "I…I don't know for sure…The truth is it's hard to answer because surely what I say may not be the same thing another says in the situation…" She sighed and looked away. "My father supposedly abandoned me and my dead mother for my protection. I don't know if he was lying or not…If I knew who he was…I might want to ask what the hell he was thinking, burdening my Grandpa with me and leaving me to wonder where the hell I came from. But…I think one should only reveal information like that if it is possible that the child's future will be better because of the outcome." She looked back up at Sabin. "I do not feel that my life would be better with my father. I love Grandpa and would never leave him, and…I'd rather think my father left me because of a noble cause and not because he was a sleaze. It helps me hate him less." Sabin looked a little surprised.
"Relm…you are definitely wiser than your years."
"Well, I've learned what I know from a great man," Relm stared up at him. "But I am curious to know why you care about all this." Sabin hesitated.
"Can I trust you with a secret?"
"Secrets got you in trouble tonight," Relm smirked, and Sabin blushed.
"I'm serious Relm…"
"Ok, ok." Relm smoothed down her clothes and gestured for Sabin to bend down to her height. "Tell me. I won't breathe it to a soul." Sabin sighed.
"Well, I did a little investigating for information on my own last week," he explained. "I found myself at a house that I had been at previously, and tried to talk to the man there. Granted, I didn't find out much, but I made some shocking connections in my head and realized…"
"…What…?" Relm asked softly.
"I think I might have found Gau's father."
