Rydia stirred from beneath the covers to see the sun's light through the window in her room. She was still in Kaipo and with that awful man that had killed her mother. Right beside her bed, the glass of water still sat untouched. Right beside the glass, there was a small plate with some local fruits and vegetables. She peeked around to see that man was gone.
Throwing the covers off, she took the glass eagerly and gulped it down as fast as she could. She couldn't remember the last time she had a drink of water and this single glass of oasis water and fresh food was a blessing.
With a sigh of relief, she placed the glass back on the table and began to wonder what she was to do now. She couldn't run away, she was in the middle of the desert with no money and all she had was the clothes on her back.
"Hey, handsome."
Rydia turned her head to the window to see that man speaking with a woman. The man also appeared to not want to speak to the woman, and Rydia figured the stinky pipe she carried with her was a reason. Also, she wore some odd clothes that didn't really cover much of her legs.
"What?" Rydia heard from the black knight. Judging by the terse nature of his voice, he didn't want to speak with her.
"Whoa, calm yourself, big guy. It's only midday, I don't work until evening." She sat beside him and while leaning away from him, smiled and continued, "Unless you're willing to pay the daytime price."
Rydia wondered what she was talking about. Was she a storekeeper that didn't work in a store? She leaned against the wall and listened to the conversation.
"Look, I don't feel like talking with you. Could you please leave me alone?"
"Be nice if I could believe you, hon. Everyone needs to let out what they feel inside, and if gossip's right, your friend doesn't feel like listening."
The black knight frowned back at her, "What would a joy girl know? All that matters is how much gil your customers got in their purse."
The 'joy girl' exhaled a puff of smoke and frowned, "The name is Nina, sweetheart, and despite what you think, my line of work lets me know all the good stuff about everyone. And at least, gives me a decent idea about how people think."
The black knight rolled his eyes, "Oh please. If I wanted to talk to someone about my problems, I'd talk to my friends."
Nina snorted and quipped, "And you don't seem to be the kind that would tell even your girl about things that bother you. I can read you like an open book, you got some things you don't want to tell anyone. Not your friends, not your girl, no one." She folded her arms and continued, "That's sad, hon."
"I doubt you'd have any problems with loyalty and personal ethics."
Taking another puff from her pipe, Nina sighed, "I did at one time. I was as loyal as any dog... and what did that get me? Stranded in the middle of the desert in this place, ostracized, and all I got is money to keep me company. Reality doesn't have room for ethics, you take what you can when you can. But if you still got a hold on what you know is right, don't you dare let go."
Nina looked away, she had a very sad look on her face. "I did."
The black knight looked back to her with empathy. Rydia hunched down again to make sure he didn't notice her. Yet, she crept up to the bottom of the window to hear more clearly.
"It'll cost you heavy in the long run, but, as the story goes, it'll be worth it," Nina said without her previous bravado.
The knight nodded once, "Thanks."
With no warning, Nina threw her arm over his neck and said with a larger smile, "Now that we got that out of the way, wanna conduct some business?"
The knight tossed her arm off of his shoulder and stomped away.
Nina shrugged and started another huff from her pipe. "Whoever his girl is, she's lucky."
Rydia still wondered what Nina did for a job as she crawled back to her bed. Yet, what preyed on her mind more were the black knight's answers. She had a feeling that he was feeling bad and it wasn't his fault. It never occurred to her that maybe he didn't want to do what he did.
She crawled beneath her covers and let the dry air, a full stomach, and a gentle breeze lull her to sleep.
...
A loud crash woke Rydia and the knight as they heard the doors to the inn kicked open. Both of them looked to the door to hear the innkeeper speaking with someone. From a hole of the sheets, she saw the knight leap out of his bed and grab his sword. He stood between her bed and the entrance and wondered why he was doing that when the door to their room opened and several men in armor barged their way in.
"General? What are you doing here?" the knight asked, utterly confused.
"Cecil Harvey, we are here to check up on your progress on your mission. Have you delivered the ring to Mist?"
With a frown, Cecil nodded, "Sadly, it worked a little too well. There was only one survivor that I could find."
"We know. We carry orders from the king. You are to stand down and let us take the girl."
"What?! You can't be serious! She's still a child."
"The king has decreed that the summoners of Mist are far too dangerous an element to be left alive."
"With all due respect, sir, they did nothing to us."
"Regardless, the king's orders stand. Stand aside if you wish to return to your former post."
The black knight stood his ground. "Forget the post. I'm not letting you hurt her."
The general then frowned in turn, "You do realize that doing this will brand you as a traitor in the eyes of the king."
"I'm aware of that." Cecil drew his sword calmly and made it quite clear he was not letting them pass.
"It saddens me to hear that, Harvey," he turned to the five soldiers with him, "Kill them."
Taking them by surprise, Cecil charged and sent all six of the men out through the door. Rydia, not wanting to see anymore, crawled out of the covers and scrambled beneath the bed where she saw one soldier fall by Cecil's sword. She peeked through her fingers and heard the sounds of battle and another one of the soldiers fell down, never to stand up again. Rydia was scared. She hated swords, the metal clangs, the blood, everything related to it.
However, the clangs ceased and soon after, the dark knight returned. From what she could see, he was limping. The soldiers had not gone down without a fight and Cecil's wounds were proof of that. He held his left arm tightly as blood seeped from several slash marks that would have been prevented, had he been wearing his armor.
A small arrow protruded from his right calf and the blood from the wound, stained his pants. With a pained groan, he slowly pulled the projectile out and dropped it.
As he collapsed on his bed, his sword landed on the ground with a loud clang and Rydia took quick notice of the blood on it. She retreated to the other side of the bed and crawled over the top to see Cecil looking through his bag for something.
Almost on instinct, Rydia crawled over the bed, sat on the edge, pointed her small hands at Cecil's wounds and whispered, "Cure."
Cecil looked up as several small motes of light emerged from her hands, hovered for a second between them and slowly, like a curious moth to a flame, drew near to Cecil's wounds. One of the spheres hovered near the cuts, as if it were examining them. Then the rest of them flew to the wounds and exploded into small lights, which closed the cuts in a matter of seconds.
Cecil let go of his arm and looked to her, "Thank you." His voice was still contrite, but grateful.
Rydia noticed this and nodded, accepting his thanks. They both remained still for a moment until Rydia whispered, "You saved me."
"I had to. What I did was bad enough and those men were going to finish what that wretched ring started." He started shaking his head, "No pardon is worth a life."
Though Rydia couldn't understand everything Cecil was going through, what she could gather was that Cecil was in enough trouble already. Now, because he protected her, he was in worse trouble than before.
Without another word, Cecil turned around and lay on his bed, slowly returning to sleep. Rydia, keeping her gaze locked on his form, crawled off her bed and slowly walked over to his bed. Along the way, she paused for a moment, before continuing to the edge of his bed.
A sniff brought his attention back to the child as he saw her standing with her little hands clenched beneath her chin. The moonlight coming from the window made her small plat of green hair shine like emerald, but what caught his attention was the tears gathering in her eyes.
He threw his covers off and sat on the side of his bed, wondering what was wrong. She started to sniff as the tears welling up in her eyes started to overflow. It just occurred to Cecil that the poor child never had a chance to say good-bye to her mother.
The child's mouth started to quiver as the tears finally fell from her eyes. Then, she dashed forward and threw her small arms around Cecil's waist. His shirt muffled her small wail as her tears began to soak the fabric.
All the while, a voice in Rydia's heart, which sounded a lot like her mother's, was telling her one thing.
This man was not her enemy.
Repeatedly, she cried, "Mama!" as much as her breath would allow her. With a sad countenance, Cecil reached down and slowly lifted the little girl onto his lap and placed her head on his shoulder. She didn't struggle, only sobbed as she placed her arms around Cecil's neck. He used one arm to support the child and the other to stroke her hair, hoping to calm her.
Her weeping continued for a few more hours before she fell asleep. When her breathing had finally settled, he slowly placed her small body on the bed beside his pillow. Making sure to move slowly to not wake her, he moved the covers up to her neck.
It appeared now that he had a child to take care of. He was only twenty-one years old and now he was a father to an eight-year-old child... due to an unfortunate set of circumstances.
...
Rydia woke with a start, her head resting on her arms while atop a large book of Mysidian lore. Rubbing her eyes, she wondered where that dream came from as she noticed Porom descending one of the ladders near the desk she sat at. Rows upon rows of shelves of books towered over them all as Rydia recalled where she was spending the past week.
Turning to her, Rydia asked, "What time is it, Porom?"
The twin frowned and snapped, "If I were my sister, I'd tell you 'it's just before dusk'. But since I'm not, I can't."
Blinking, Rydia leaned in closer to see that she had mistaken Porom for Palom... or was it Palom for Porom? Embarrassed, Rydia apologized.
The younger of the twins sighed, "For most of my life, I have been mistaken for my sister more times than I care to admit."
Rydia chuckled at his confession. Though in his forties, the male twin had still retained some of the effeminate physical characteristics shared with his sister, though not the personality.
"Are you still going to be here? Most everyone else has gone home for the day," he asked, placing a few of the books on his own desk.
She nodded, "Yes, I'd like to wait until the children from the academy are too bored to wait for me to come out."
Palom snorted at the reminder. The source of Rydia's grief came in the form of several teenage mages, nearly graduated from the Mysidian Academy of Magic, who felt that her presence in their home was a curse because of the ancient wars between the summoners and the mages.
They were born in an era where the Crystal War was history. In addition, with monster attacks at an all time low, one could comment that the current generation had become decadent.
"Knowing their attention span, they've probably left already. But just to be safe, I'll check."
Rydia nodded in appreciation as he left to the front of the building. Returning to the book in front of her, Rydia found herself drawn into the world of Mysid and Mistahn, the arch-mages of Crescent, the lost magic civilization. On the assumption that the curses they faced were connected to the ones now, she had brought several of the chronicles and had gotten through at least two of the ten massive books.
Rydia frowned as she read another diatribe about Mysid's opinion of summoning creatures. According to the arch-mage; theoragy, the magic used to summon monsters, was a very unstable and unpredictable energy source. There were many unknown creatures in the other worlds the summoners called from. In some cases, a powerful monster could gain control over a summoner and wreak havoc in the world. Nowhere did she find any kind of refute from Mistahn.
It was bad enough to face the result of prejudice among an allied nation, but even in the past, there was no respite for her. Most of the books she had found were from Mysid's perspective and often downplayed Mistahn's importance. Worse, some of the information about the summoners was incorrect, and judging by the wording, they were written in anger and more likely than not, false.
Queen Asura, having taught the summoners from Mist by word, had left little written record of the past. If Rydia could ever find the time, she would make sure that the survivors of Mist would get those records. When last she went to Mist, most of the summoners there could barely even summon Titan. And even then, their cooperation with the summoned beasts had only lasted for a short time. Atevi or master level summoners, a title that Rydia had still some time to reach, could summon monsters that not only commanded the elements, but went so far as to utilize the powers of time, space, and even the heavens and hells.
When she recalled asking Asura about some of those monsters that the masters could summon, Rydia received an answer she had not expected.
"They will come to you... and you may not want meet them when you do."
With her face on her palm, Rydia wondered why Asura would tell her something like that. Wasn't the point of summoners to learn the wisdom and earn the cooperation of creatures from other worlds? The last thing she needed was some cryptic hint that made it seem like a game.
Such were the times that Asura acted like her own mother when Rydia was impatient.
A snicker from behind caused Rydia to turn around. All she found was an empty library.
"Palom? Porom? Anyone there?"
She stood up from her chair and felt her hand instinctively reach her whip. Though she never had been through any major conflicts in the intervening years, the monsters in the underworld had gotten more ferocious. A quick dash brought her to the eastern end of the library and still no sign of others.
The snickers continued as Rydia followed the source, but still found nothing. Rydia recalled playing games like this when her mother called her in for meals, and it took her nearly thirty years to understand the grief she gave her mother.
The summoner's sense of magic tinged when she felt a distortion close to her location. In fact, it was right behind her. So, on instinct, she turned and flung the bladed spearhead attached to the tip of her whip behind her and into the wall.
Yanking it back, Rydia noticed a circular ripple that distorted her line of sight. Soon enough, the ripple vanished and the Rydia could sense nothing more. However, she did recognize the kind of magic being used. Chronogy, the magic of time, only this pulse was much stronger than a stop spell.
"Rydia! Where are you?" Palom's voice echoed throughout the room.
Blinking, Rydia walked to the entrance to find both twins looking frantically for her.
"What's wrong? I was here the whole time. Palom just left me here a few minutes ago."
Both twins looked aghast as the elder twin exclaimed, "You've been missing for two hours. It's already nightfall."
Now it was Rydia's turn to gape. She could understand how time could shift without warning in the land of summoned monsters, but in the middle of Mysidia? Time stop spells required a specific target and there was no wizard that could cast it on a single area. Even if they did, Rydia would have felt it affect her.
"Well, at least you are unharmed," the elder twin said.
"I didn't feel anything, Porom. Someone has the capacity to be able to cast a stop spell on an area and I was caught in it. As much as I want to blame those runts from the academy, something like this is way beyond their league."
With his arms folded, Palom mused, "I recall one of the guys in the guilds talking about creating a stasis field with using chronogy, but it was still in the experimental stages."
"Do you think that he may have made a break through and wanted to use me as a test subject?" Rydia asked with a frown.
Palom shook his head, "Not a chance. If he did get it to work, I would have known about it. Besides, he doesn't really care about old conflicts."
Leaning against a bookcase, Rydia sighed, "Well, it's nothing to really hurt ourselves over right now. I'm going to gather my books and head back to Baron."
"This is actually convenient since you're needed back there anyway," Porom added.
"How so?"
Porom looked to her brother with a slight bit of worry on her face before continuing, "Rosa has summoned you and sadly, it was not when she was sane."
Rydia groaned, "Can't you just tell her I died or something? I've been busy looking for a cure for her."
The younger twin shook his head, "That was already tried, but she didn't buy it."
Massaging her temples, Rydia figured it would be best to just get this over with. So, picking up what books she could carry, she bid the twins farewell and started on her way to the Devil's Road, which could take her there in a matter of minutes.
As beautiful as Mysidia was at night, she couldn't help but feel slightly apprehensive about the town as a whole. Sure, it had grown and with many more mages, wizards, healers, and so on filling up the academy from all over the world, it was starting to grow into a very unique city. Still, it was some of the aristocratic wizard families that had never learned the lessons from the crystal war, even after Cecil had fulfilled the prophecy of the paladin, which worried Rydia. Walking down the last step from the main hall, she changed direction to one of the still prominent buildings that had not only survived the Crystal War, but all the years that followed. Out of respect for the one who had helped them create it, Mysidians old enough to remember the war maintained the Devil's Road for everyone to use.
Reaching the door, Rydia figured herself safe until she heard a very unwelcome voice, "What's wrong? Too tired to call one of your beasts to carry you?"
The summoner turned to see one of the primary sources of her agitation. Lana Klauser, a prodigy in the academy, but still learning nonetheless. Though she still was dressed in the red mage's garb for those skilled enough to learn both black and white magics, her pageboy haircut had shown a bit of her difficult attitude. And to think Rydia had her hair in a style very similar to hers a long time ago.
"Actually, monsters have a tendency to scare little children. I kept them away for your sake," Rydia retorted casually.
"Say what you will, beast whore. Just remember that this isn't your town," Lana growled.
Rydia's face then turned sour at the insult. Another misconception taken too far and used as a spark for the narrow minded to feed upon. Though the summoner kept her calm, Rydia could not help but indulge a fantasy of using a powerful mute spell on Lana so she could never use magic again. Or speak again for that matter. But why stop there? She still had her bladed lash. A few whips and Rydia could cut the wretch's throat open and tear her vocal cords out.
Rydia paused for a second to ponder what had just crossed her mind. That seemed far too extreme, even for a brat like Lana. So, she threw it aside and returned to the subject at hand.
Though she had gone through her teenage years in a drastically different way, she could still remember the unwillingness to cooperate with her teachers and even threatening to run away more than once. Then, a spark of indirect inspiration came.
"You're one to talk, little girl. Shouldn't you be in bed? Or were you just too busy doing something the Maesters would not approve of?"
Lana blanched and Rydia's smirk grew. "You... you wouldn't know..."
Feigning a sigh, Rydia continued, "It would be such a shame to get cast out of the prestigious Mysidian mage academy simply because a girl couldn't control herself. Why, what would her parents think? What would they do?"
Lana's fists and jaw were clenched and she looked like she was ready to charge. Yet, even then, Lana knew exactly what Rydia had gone through and wasn't ready to make such a scene. "I'm going to get you for this."
Unfazed, Rydia picked up her books and gave Lana a victorious smirk before entering the Devil's Road.
Though Rydia admitted to enjoying that little spectacle, she had no clue that Lana was fooling around. She never harbored any real belief in luck or chance, but it was certainly nice to have it on her side once in a while.
Standing upon the dais, Rydia felt herself vanish and flow through the current. It was helpful, but the harm that sometimes resulted made the trips more trouble than they were worth.
It was when Rydia felt herself nearing Baron did she begin to wonder about Mysidia. True, they had been through some tough times, but that gave them no right to treat her so badly. Maybe it was just the city bringing out the worst in her. Rydia mentally snorted at the thought.
As much as the haughty members of Mysidia were, her kinship to the twins and their families made every visit worth it. After all, were it not for them, Cecil and the others would have never made it out of Baron alive while Golbez had taken control of the kingdom.
Within minutes, Rydia felt herself return to her normal state and exited quietly. The town of Baron had also gotten quiet at night recently. Rosa's condition was of the primary concern and Rydia noticed that most of the people were either in their own houses or at some spot offering a prayer to the heavens on Rosa's behalf.
She thought sourly at what Rosa had become and now she had to meet with her, and though she was tempted to let her steps move slower than normal, there was really little point in doing so.
...
Approaching the gate, she met the guards who cordially bowed to her and opened the gate. Walking past the doors, she noticed that the maids, butlers, and other members of the staff were still up and about, preparing for something else. However, she paid it no mind and trudged up the stairs to where Rosa was being confined.
If it were possible, she wanted to speak with Cecil for a minute concerning Rosa's present condition, but passing by the throne room, she noticed him busy speaking with several members of his committee. With a heavy sigh, she continued her trek upward and outward to the rear cloister of the castle.
"Oh, Lady Drake," a voice said in surprise. Rydia turned to see Cecil and Rosa's first son, Terrance emerging from his own study, "what brings you here?"
With a weary smile, Rydia answered, "Your mother summoned me. And I think it would best if you and some guards came with me."
Terrance asked, "Why would I need to do that?"
Rydia's smile grew as she walked to Cecil's son, tilted his head forward with her free hand and kissed his forehead. He was so much like his father. So guileless and trusting. Though he would have to make sure to know that the world is not as benevolent as he hoped, Rydia had a feeling that he would accomplish great things like his father.
"I'm kidding, Terrance. It's nothing. By the way, what's going on?"
The prince sighed, "We're preparing ourselves for the upcoming talks. We have to make sure that the representatives from the mage guilds are well taken care of."
Rydia snorted, "Not that they'd notice. They'd be too busy griping about their 'so-called grievances' about not being an autonomous state than the courtesy you guys planned for them."
"I hope not, we've been planning this for weeks. The staff has run themselves ragged trying to get this done while worrying about my mother."
Patting his shoulder, she grinned, "They'd better, or else they'd have to deal with me."
Terrance smiled back, "Thank you, Lady Drake."
Rydia frowned slightly, "Terrance..."
"Sorry, sorry. Thank you, Rydia."
"Much better."
As much as Rydia wanted to use Rosa's son as an excuse to keep from the meeting, the summoner knew she had to get this over with or else Rosa would be screaming bloody murder and the poor guards would get no peace.
Steeping slowly to the entrance to Rosa's chamber, she acknowledged the guards, who nodded in turn and opened the gates for her. With heavy steps, Rydia followed the first soldier in as the second closed the door behind them.
Rydia felt cold as the second door opened. The weather had nothing to do with the temperature, but instead the source seemed to originate from Rosa's stare into space. That is, until her eyes focused on Rydia.
Rosa had definitely lost weight last time Rydia saw her. Her straightjacket and trousers were filthy from lack of care. What stood out most were the eyes. Rydia recalled all too well how Zemus' eyes looked. One look could reveal the anger, resentment, and contempt of one trapped against their will. Those very same vicious and merciless eyes that Zemus once held were now in Rosa's face.
"So the wench finally shows herself!"
Whatever patience Rydia had built up over the last hour vanished in an instant. Whatever good fortune Rydia had in seeing Rosa in her right mind existed the last time she was here with Cecil. Bad enough the runts in Mysidia had a penchant for insulting her, but now this had to come up.
"Is there anything..."
"Silence! In no way did I say you could speak!"
Huffing, Rydia countered, "My apologies, your highness. I never thought it was necessary to ask for your permission."
"You should, you arrogant, little churl!"
Rydia replied with as much civility as she could muster, "May I ask why I was summoned?"
"You just remember that you're nothing more than a guest here. I would advise you to keep your distance from Cecil."
The summoner found herself more shocked than angered, "Rosa... I can't believe you would even think that! Cecil loves you! He's my friend! He'd sooner kill himself than betray you."
Rosa laughed sardonically, "As if I could believe such a thing. With you waltzing around, still young and beautiful while the rest of us age and with me here, it makes it all the easier for you two, doesn't it? DOESN'T IT?!"
Rydia felt her anger reaching its threshold as she replied with what little calm she had left, "Trust me. I would never betray yours or Cecil's trust like that."
"It would be nice if I could believe your thinly veiled words, beast whore!"
Rydia shut her eyes and breathed heavily, struggling to keep herself calm. She had to get out of there immediately. She did not want to know what would happen if this kept up.
"Forgive me, your highness, but I have to go now."
"Good, I'm sure Titan misses rutting you like your mother!"
Neither Rosa nor the guards had time to bat an eyelash.
The summoner's fist collided with Rosa's face suddenly and quite violently. So enraged was Rydia, she lost her balance from the swing. With agility that belied her balance, Rydia leaped forward and tackled Rosa, clamping her mouth closed with her free hand.
With another fluid motion, Rydia whipped out a dagger she always kept in her sleeve and held its sharp blade at Rosa's neck. The guards were poised, holding their spears at her back, but she was too angered to notice or care. Besides, it was much faster for her to cut open Rosa's neck that it was for the guards to lance her in the back.
Rydia always considered herself very well in control of her anger. In a calm state, the though of what she was doing now was beyond ludicrous. However, after all she had gone through today, Rydia did not care who it was she was ready to injure. No one, but no one dared to insult her mother so blatantly!
From the guards' point of view, Rydia looked and sounded like a wild animal ready to lash at anything that moved. The guards wondered if it was wise to try and stop her, considering that she not only wielded powerful summoning magic, but frightening black magic that could reduce them both to nothing.
Rydia was breathing heavily as her eyes bored into Rosa's. How tempting it was to choke her to death... to stab her blade into her throat... petrify her... burn her to cinders... anything to hear her scream in agony.
"If you were any other woman, Rosa Harvey," her grip tightened and new blood was beginning to flow along her fingertips, "I would kill you for saying that!"
Though mad, Rosa's eyes overflowed with the fear that delighted the High Summoner to no end. Not only did she have the unmitigated gall to insult her mother, but also she went so far as to insinuate that she and Cecil were having an affair. For all Rydia knew, maybe Rosa had an affair with Kain all those years ago, she did know for a fact that there was quite the ordeal between those three. It wouldn't surprise the summoner at all.
Angered to the point where she couldn't speak, Rydia raged over what made Rosa so damn special. As far as the Summoner knew, Rosa was a near liability most of the time she knew her. She, Cecil, and Gilbert had to hunt for a cure for a disease she brought upon herself, in which time could have been used to help the people of Damcyam to evacuate after the Red Wings struck.
What good were her prayers when Golbez had them all at his mercy? Were it not for Rydia, they would have been long dead. Kain's jealousy towards Cecil made it all the easier for Golbez to control Kain again. Some help Rosa was!
Noises behind her brought her back to reality to see the guards were pointing their spears at her back. Though their weapons were ready to use, the fear in their own eyes made their hands shake. In her rage, Rydia knew she could burn them all with but a few choice words. Besides, all she needed was a good stroke across Rosa's neck before anyone could do anything.
"Lady Drake! Please! Don't do it!" one of the guards pleaded. As much as Rydia would have been more than agreeable to killing them all, the time she had to breathe allowed the anger to slowly seep out of her mind.
Slowly, she let go of Rosa, replaced her dagger, stood up, and walked out of the room as fast as she could. Rydia had to get away from there.
"Lady Drake, wait!" the younger of the two guards said.
Turning around, Rydia snapped, "What?!"
He flinched, but continued nonetheless, "There was something else." He reached into his pouch and pulled out a letter with the royal seal on it, "Last time the queen was sane, she wanted to speak with you, but knew it would be too late by the time you got here. So she wrote this letter to you alone."
Surprised, Rydia took the letter and looked back to the guard, ashamed that she lashed out so viciously earlier.
"Thank you... and I'm sorry."
The guard nodded as the other guard closed the doors to Rosa's chamber.
Rydia then looked towards the hand that was stained with blood. It was red, just like hers and everyone else's. It was the liquid that gave its precious life force to all that had it. It also had a peculiar odor that applied only to humans.
During her sojourn in the Kingdom of the dwarves, she had stumbled across an infirmary that had the bleeding and the dying citizens of Giott's kingdom. Her sense of smell was much stronger back then, and she had noticed the scent of dwarf blood and how much different it was when compared to her own.
But what of its taste? A lone voice in the back of her head asked. Driven by a strange curiosity, she brought her hand up to her head to lick it off. However, her hand, along with the rest of her body, was all a quiver. In a fear induced peak, she gathered her books and dashed back to her room.
Along the way, she realized to her horror what she had nearly done.
What was happening to her?
...
A short while later, Rydia noticed that the door to Cecil's room was slightly ajar. The lights were low and Rydia could not help but peek inside to see Cecil asleep on his bed. Keep her steps as silent as possible, she walked over to his side and saw dried tears adorn his face and pillow.
What a time for all this to happen, Rydia thought ruefully. She took a chair from his nearby desk and sat it right by his bed. From her chair, Rydia reached over and started to stroke Cecil's hair gently.
Cecil didn't deserve this. He never meant any harm, nor did he ever want to hurt anyone. His faith in what was right had earned him friends that would have given their lives if they knew their sacrifices would save his life. Kain, Edge, the twins, Yang, herself, and even Gilbert would have gladly taken a shot meant for him.
In such a short time, he already lost one of the most important people in his life to someone he defeated long ago. Rydia wanted to protest that things like this should never happen to people, especially to a holy paladin. They were supposed to be the bastions of virtue and good in a world that didn't care about spiritual matters. Even ancient tales of summoners in the past spoke very highly of paladins that protected and fought alongside them.
Reality was cruel beyond words. She learned that when she saw her own mother collapse defending their home. Now, Cecil saw the one he loved most turning against him against her will.
"Sleep well, Cecil. And hope that I can find the answer for this soon," she whispered before leaning over and kissing his head. She left as silently as she entered, but made sure that the door was closed.
...
The rest of the night remained uneventful, save for the letter that Rosa wrote for her.
On her bed, Rydia carefully broke the seal, placed the envelope on the nightstand, and held the candle near to read the letter.
Rydia;
I doubt that you get this from me while I am sane, so I asked the guard to give this to you when the opportunity presented itself.
Rydia... I'm dying. Bit by bit, I can feel my body betraying me. Time in my right mind has grown shorter with every interval. And I grow tired of this battle between the curse and me. Even if there is a cure, I doubt very much I can recover from this.
However, the curse I have is not the least of my worries. Call it woman's intuition, but I have this feeling that something terrible is going to happen when I'm gone. My children and their children will be at risk from something I can't see. Cecil and I owe you our lives and to ask more of you seems rude of me. However, I beg you, Rydia, please watch over my husband and family. They mean the world to me and I shudder to think of what could happen.
Simply because I ask you to do these things does not mean you are obligated. You have your own life to live. There will always be heroes to stand up and challenge fate.
I do not regret anything.
Your friend;
Rosanna Harvey
P.S. Cecil and I never told you, but if you had never grown in the land of summoned monsters, we would have been happy to adopt you. For all you've given, you deserve the best life has to offer, nothing less.
With tears in her eyes, Rydia crumpled the letter and muttered several curses in the Caller's tongue. She wanted to hate Rosa, hate her for what she said about her mother. But knowing that it was something else talking and for all the kind things she and Cecil had done for her, made it impossible.
"Fash Neleil Kaboor Carbuncle!" she cried to the world of summoned monsters. In an instant, a gem the size of a chair materialized. It hovered for a second before breaking apart to reveal a very young summoned monster. Carbuncle appeared to as an armless rabbit with a large fluffy tail, long ears, and a ruby etched in its forehead.
The infant monster hopped upon Rydia's bed and slowly edged itself into Rydia's lap. Grateful for the company, she held the infant closely as her tears drifted off her face and on to its ears. Carbuncle blinked its azure colored eyes and wondered what brought its caller such distress.
Not bothering to change in her nightclothes, Rydia teetered over on her side and drifted into a dreamless sleep.
End of chapter
Minor notes: One; I absolutely adore stories where established characters find time to loathe and utterly hate each other.
Two: Yes, Carbuncle is from FF 8 and 9, but there's nothing wrong with saying that he was born recently. Right? Right. I always thought Carbuncle was the cutest one of all. :p
Just a note: Gilbert = Edward the Bard. Edward = Edge the Ninja. So, we're basically going by the PSX version of FFIV.