The Ronso warmly greeted Stella and her guardians. "Maester Kelk, please may my guardians and I rest here for a while?" Stella asked performing the prayer.
"You are most welcome, my lady summoner. Kelik make sure that our guests are comfortable." Kelk said motioning toward his son.
Stella stood at the entrance of the mountain. Staring up at the peak longing, "We're so close." She whispered to Garet as he walked up to her.
"So…Zanarkand is beyond the mountain?" he asked.
"Yes. We're almost there." She crossed her arms, "Garet…"
"Yeah?"
"Will you stay with me? Stay with me until the end?"
"The end…I will stay with you until you don't need me anymore." He walked up to her and slipped his hand into hers.
"Always then?"
Garet smiled, "Always. You have made up your mind and I have no right to try and change it. Forgive me."
"I already have." She smiled and squeezed his hand affectionately, "Your Zanarkand…Tell me one more time what it's like."
Garet found a smooth rock and settled on it. He pulled Stella onto his lap and began, "It has great stadium that's always lit up, even at night. Bright lights litter the entire city. The view is so pretty. It's almost like jewels are decorating the buildings. My favorite place was always the beach. The sun made the water glow an eerie color when it would rise. You couldn't help but feel at peace there. Like nothing else in the world mattered. I would go down there every afternoon and practice blitz with my nephew."
"Jecht right?" she asked.
"Yeah. We would spend hours on end just kicking the ball back and forth. Until my sister told us it was time to come in. Jecht is more like a son to me."
"You were with him the day you came to Spira weren't you?"
"Yes. We were out on the beach practicing. The Fayth appeared told me that they had been dreaming for so long…He asked if I was the one who would stop their dreaming. Then Sin…a tidal wave. The kid touched my arm and I fell asleep. When I woke up I had washed up on Besaid."
"If you two are ready, Zanarkand is waiting." Noah walked up to them and smiled with approval.
Stella stood, "Yes it is getting late." She started up the path with Noah and Garet following closely.
"You two seemed cozy. I thought you were still upset." Noah said nudging Garet playfully.
"I've been doing some thinking. I don't have much time left with her I don't look forward to her dying when this is over…but I'd rather see her smile and remember the good times we shared. It'll make a great story to tell my nephew when I get home."
"Zanarkand…So you will find a way back?"
"Since when do you believe me about Zanarkand?" Garet asked suspiciously.
"I don't know. Maybe it exists…maybe it doesn't. I've known you for a while, Garet. And you haven't given me reason not to trust you. But I can't help but ask: why don't you stay here in Spira?"
"Once the pilgrimage is over, I won't have a reason to." Garet answered. He watched Stella, who was just a few feet ahead of them. Garet smiled, "Are you afraid?"
Noah looked ahead, "I don't know much beyond Yevon's Teachings and the life I had in Kilika… So yeah, I'm afraid. What about you?"
"Afraid doesn't describe it. I didn't know a world existed outside of Zanarkand. I wish I could show Jecht…but he will just have to settle for the stories I'm going to tell him."
"Maybe he'll get to see it for himself one day."
"Maybe…"
The continued up the mountain and decided to rest a third of the way to the top. Stella stretched and walked up to Garet and Noah, "Just a little farther now boys." She said.
"Getting nervous?" Noah asked.
Stella shook her head, "As long as I can face Sin, nothing frightens me." She stood erect and gazed up at the mountain's peak.
Through the howling wind and light snow fall, Stella could make out the voice softly calling her name, "Stella…"
Mia materialized in the fog, "Stella…"
"Come on guys. Mia I have nothing to say to you." Stella and her guardians began making their way up the trail.
"Stop!" Mia yelled, "You may not have anything to say to me…But I have plenty to say to you!"
Stella stopped walking and turned to her cousin, "What?"
She inhaled deeply, "We both lost so much to Sin. Our home, parents, Grandma…I was only trying to help. I don't want to lose you too."
Stella crossed her arms, "You still shouldn't have…"
"I know. I was wrong… and I wanted to say E's cunno (I'm sorry)…."
"You're sorry…Fine, I forgive you. If that's all…" She turned and continued walking.
"Stella, please! I want to fight Sin with you."
"You what?"
"I can't save you…I've accepted that. I want to fight with you. Stop Sin from ruining someone else's life. Will you let me? Please?"
She stopped walking and shut her eyes, "No more Mia…No more trying to stop me. All right?"
"I won't. I will fight with you." She walked up to her cousin and wrapped her arms around her, "I'm sorry…" She said shaking.
Stella put her arms around her cousin's back and held her as she cried silently on her shoulder.
