The Day I Died.
Chapter 11. My inner demons.
"My Lord, we have found the mistress."
Serian turned to look at the soldier, who now restlessly shifted his weight from one foot to another while waiting new orders.
"Then...where is she?" Serian´s smooth voice echoed in the marble room, and small chills ran trough Yuna, as she realized how easily that man was able to change his moods. A moment ago he was ready to strangle her, and now...he had taken his role, his mask, back on.
"She's with the former -maester, my Lord." The Inquisitor stated, but startled as he saw Serian´s expression. "My Lord...?" The man began, but Serian´s chillingly soft and ominous voice killed the voice from his throat.
"How is it possible for the Lady to gain access to that Guado´s locked, and heaven forbid, guarded, room? Care to explain?" Serian questioned, and the soldier had completely forgotten what he was supposed to say next, as Serian got closer to the man, and his mere presence shut him up.
Without spoken words, Serian left the room and the soldier commanded Yuna to follow him as well. Silently Yuna followed, her head drooping in sorrow, as she knew what would await her at the morning's dusk.
Deadly silence was almost touchable in Seymour's bedroom, as Serian and Yuna had barged in. Laetitia still had her dagger clenched in her petite hand, and her eyes darted from Seymour to Serian. Seymour seemed to be still alive, although his pale face told everything Yuna needed to know. Serian apparently thought the same way, as he walked to his wife, and gently took the dagger to his possession.
"You wouldn't need this, my love. Not yet." He whispered, and eyed the former Maester with such an expression Yuna had never seen before. Eyes, which told of untold truths, mixed with hatred and repulsion.
As his back was turned to Yuna, he did not see, as she fumbled the small pouch of spheres out of her hide with hurry. She slowly moved closer to Seymour, and slipped the bag to his hands behind her back. His eyes formed a question, and Yuna whispered ever so quietly to him. "Give them to my friends, you'll find them from the Besaid, I hope." Seymour nodded, but he couldn't say anything in respond, as Serian ordered his wife to leave, and she did so. He now turned to them, and eyed them with triumph.
"Tomorrow shall be the day of great importance!
Never you shall see for what I have done, but inward I have grown; from
the shame and the pain, for this world have become. But after tomorrow,
it will not be a problem; the filth that have poisoned this earth will
be swept away in a purifying rain of fire, and thus, Spira will be soon
liberated!" Serian´s eyes held a superior and slightly fanatical glint,
and Yuna could do nothing but gape.
""Purifying rain"? "Liberated"? What are you...what do you mean?" She whispered, and he now smiled at something what he saw in his own little world.
"You'll see soon enough." Serian whispered back, still smiling at something the others could not see.
"And now in the matters at hand...I trust you would like to hear my reason of keeping you here, as my guest? " Serian questioned the girl, completely ignoring the half-Guado. Seeing her puzzled expression, Serian continued with glee.
"It all comes down to publicity. As you are the High- Summoner, who defeated the all-mighty Sin, you are quite popular among the people.
So, with you in our forces tomorrow, the people will see how masterfully I have solved the problem of...eh..."purity of blood" with your help.
And since you are the daughter of High Summoner Braska,
and you are a High Summoner as well, you would be such a helpful puppet
to be shown to those mummified politicians in Bevelle. And did I
mention how you will clear room for me among those scrubby old men?"
He smiled his deceivingly charming smile, so very like of Yuna´s former
enemy, and Yuna was dumfounded by the man's plans to overthrow that
playhouse of a government, which was now the only stronghold for
people's safety and freedom.
And how deceivingly, so cunningly, it would work.
"So,
it all comes down to the purity of blood, once again?" Seymour began
with his educated, yet so cunningly icy voice, but Serian gave him a
dark, warning glance, and continued.
"Blood is everything! You of all people should know that
by now." He hissed, and when Seymour was quiet once more, he
continued-- this time his voice was softer, like something he had long
awaited would soon to happen.
"Yuna, prepare yourself for the tomorrow. You will be escorted out of this palace by tomorrow morning, and I have ordered my men to take your Summoner´s staff along. You'll be needing it." He stated, but Yuna felt sick from the man's fanatical view of things.
"I won't do it." She said with stony face.
"You won't do it? Are you sure?" Came the soft, velvety voice, and Serian was not surprised, not at all.
"Yes". Her flat reply rang in the dead-silent room.
"Yuna, don't---" Seymour began, but Serian´s low, even more gentler voice disrupted him.
"Fine then. If you want to play stubborn, then do it. But I promise you...you won't be playing it for long. Tomorrow...you shall see. Until then, I bid you good-bye. You should rest before tomorrow." The cold voice of Serian Honoré rang in the room still, even after he had disappeared trough the door.
Completely exhausted from the day's terror, Seymour let his body fell to the bed, and he now stared at the ceiling with his lilac eyes.
Yuna slowly came beside him, and now they both lie in the bed, both staring up, both thinking the same mental puzzles.
"Why...why must this be so hard?" He whispered, trying to soothe his inner demons, and Yuna looked at him in bewilderment.
"What is?" She asked, and Seymour blinked.
"...Nothing. The pouch...what's in it?" He asked, and Yuna gave him a faint smile.
"Tomorrow...if something would happen to me, please...give them to my
friends. That pouch carries evidence, of what has happened and why,
that's all."
Silence swallowed them, but only for a moment.
"...Why did you kiss me?" Yuna whispered with weak voice, and Seymour looked at her."...Because I love you." Came the only short answer."You do?"
"I do."
Silent tears made their way down to her face. "Don't."
"Why?""Because--- Because I know this can not end well." She sadly answered, and he stroke the tears away from her face ever so gently.
"Tomorrow morning will come soon. You need your rest...I-- I'll leave." He said with a voice that wasn't his. But before he could get up, Yuna took his hand into hers.
"Don't leave...stay with me.""I...I will stay with you.""You will?"
"...I will stay with you...forever."
Yuna looked at him with teary eyes, but she was smiling, and Seymour never had more inner conflicts than now. He knew, that he couldn´t attain everything, the world just doesn´t work that way.
Even still, the cold part inside of him demanded his plans to be followed, and Seymour was confused. "Power is everything," he had once thought, but now...he wasn´t so sure anymore. It had been transformed to "Blood is everything", and Seymour wasn't sure if it was a good thing.
"Do I love her?" Seymour thought, and the familiar feeling inside of him grew stronger, like it possessed a mind of it's own.
"You don't love her. You only think you are, and she could NEVER fall in you. After all, who could love a freak?
Shut up.
You know it's true.
S- She could! She's kind and caring...
Lies.
N-No!
We both know it. What is the only thing makes you, no, us, happy? Say it.
Power...?That's my boy. Tomorrow...you know what must be done.
(...You will become the temple for your aeon....)
Mother would have wanted it.
(...I need you, Mother, no one else!...)
I know she would.
That girl will hurt you. She will deceive you...And she will
fall
in love with all those beautiful people!
Be quiet! S--Shut up!!
She will laugh at your cries, she will haunt your
mind and then, she will leave you...just like She did.
(...Use me and defeat Sin...it is the only way the people will accept you...)
Mother, no! I only want you Mother, no one else!
Wake up.
Seymour opened his eyes. Once again, his darkest friend was himself...
The morning was already making its way to the world, and Seymour got up to sit.
He was utterly confused. He had never before tried to say something against his inner voice...it scared him. And where Yuna was? The bed was empty; she should have been there, sleeping. Where was she?
Seymour got up quickly, and scanned his room. Nothing.
He looked to the hallway. Still nothing.
Seymour grew restless, so he decided to go look for her in her room. He walked to her door, and knocked. No one opened the door. He pressed the doorknob, and the door opened, but the room was empty. He could still smell her fragrance; it lingered in the room like a weak flower in the autumn's violent winds.
Sun's rays made their way to the room through the window, and Seymour felt like being back in Zanarkand. Helpless and alone. No one here anymore.
As the panic lifted it's ugly head inside of him, he decided to go look for her.
The only reasonable place for her to be anymore, was somewhere in the palace. Maybe Serian wanted to talk to her?
Without a second thought, Seymour rushed out of the room, and headed to Serian´s chambers. He knocked to the door, and a moment later the door opened, and he was now staring right in to Serian´s lilac eyes. He ordered Seymour to come in, and Seymour did so. Serian looked the view outside the window, and his back was turned to him.
"I know why you are here." He whispered.
"I see my reflection in the window. It looks different, so
different than what you see...I will project judgement on the world,
the court will be soon in session, and I slam my gavel down!
I'm judge and I'm jury and I'm the executioner too.
And I... I have already decided the Summoner´s fate." Serian said with blank voice, and turned to look at the former Maester.
"Where is Yuna?" Seymour demanded, but Serian only smiled at him. But a moment later, he answered. "She's not here. The Inquisitors escorted her to Guadosalam, as planned." He said.
"Guadosalam? Why there?" Seymour wondered, and Serian only continued his smile.
"You'll see." Came the short answer, and Serian continued.
"She should have not tried to say "no"
to me. No one refuses anything from their Master. She'll pay the price
now...and you-- You'll come with me too, and after today, you will have
your place as the leader for the people, just like we agreed.
Wouldn't you like that?" He said, and the smile still played in his
lips, but the smile was ice, calculating and demanding. Far from true
glee.
Seymour could also play this game.
"I do. But tell me...why she would go there? What is there to see?" he asked, and small sparkles of light lit on Serian´s eyes, and he answered.
"She is there to witness the birth of a new, more purer world. But why do you care of her? She is nothing! But if you are so concerned about her, then why don't you come with me to Guadosalam?" He said, and something flickered behind his lilac eyes.
"I know exactly what you want.You are after my place as a ruler, aren't you? Soon you'll see...the Master does not like to share his power. Foolish creature.
You are to burn in the name of purity."
A/N: ah, another chappie of tension, I hope you liked it. The story will get darker soon, and the drama just can't seem to stop. : D
Thanks for your lovely reviews, and please do post more of them, as I am such a review-whore. Hahahaha! Ahem.
No,
really. It is wonderful that people seems to like this. I have been
asked if I would write more Seymour& Yuna - thingies, but I must
end this fic first.
Where the #&2 are you, Lucrecia LeVrai? You're not dead, are you? o.O
Sniff...one of the greatest fan-fiction writer has disappeared. If you see this author note, it means you must get back to work. I need your fics! XD
And big, BIG, humongous, enormous thank-yous to the following people:
Unchained Rain; Thank you for your support! Yay!
Silver Whirl; One of my favourite reviewers: You rock. And that´s it. For now. XD
Yami no Eyes; As always, your support is valuable, and did I mention how good writer you are?
Soul Vagabond; My newest and most enthusiastic reviewer. Remember to write more of your splendid reviews! VILLAINS UNITE!! Hahahaaa! Yay! XD
Ickis Krumm; The one GREAT reviewer, whose name I can´t ever write properly. Heheh...I want to hear from you even more, and Where is YOUR Seymour-ficcy? XD
Stelmaria; Welcome to the club! I´m glad that there´s someone else too, who is just so obsessed about Seymour as I am. ; )
Lady-yuna-guado; Hey! Glad you like my fics so much! Write them yourself, too! I´d LOVE to read them!
The Dragon Sorceress; Where are you? I haven´t heard about you in a while...You are still reading this fic, aren´t you? Aren´t you?! o.O
Aurons/second/half; The same goes for you, too; where are you? I would like to hear from you.
SkippyChick; Where art thou, dear reviewer? ; D
Lucrecia LeVrai; Man... Where. Are. You?! I love your fics, don´t you dare to leave me hanging on like this! ; )
Anyway, more to come soon.
Disclaimer: go see the earlier chapters.