Chapter X – Consulting the Dead
Auron looked at the Maester straight in the eye. "You know what Sara must do."
Maester Seymour nodded. "Of course. Lady Sara, no all summoners, are charged with bringing peace to Gaia. But this means more than defeating Sin. She must ease the suffering of all of Gaia. She must be a leader for the people. I proposed to Lady Sara as a Maester of Yevon."
"Gaia is no playhouse. A moment's diversion may amuse the audience, but it changes nothing," replied Auron with an iron face.
"Even so, the actors must play their parts," responded Maester Seymour with a smile. He looked at Sara. "There's no need to answer right away. Please, think it over."
"We will do so then. We leave." Auron seemed to be getting a bit angry. Cid stood his guard. Who knew what the guardian could do?
"Lady Sara, I await your favorable reply," said the Maester with a lavish sweep of his hand. "Why are you still here, sir?" asked Maester Seymour to Auron, who looked at him puzzled. "I beg your pardon. We Guado are keen to the scent of the Farplane." The scent of the Farplane? Cid didn't even know that Farplane had a smell. They left the household of Maester Seymour.
"Yuna, the guardian's daughter, Seymour, the leader of the Guado. Married in the name of Yevon, overcoming the barrier of race. It would give Gaia something cheery to talk about for a change," said Lulu.
"Sounds just like a passing daydream, just like Auron says," commented Alexander.
"C'mon! Let's just get on with the pilgrimage," said Cid surprisingly. "I mean, marriage?"
Helena looked at him with a strange expression on her face. "Hmm…Jealous?"
"What? Of course not! Our top priority is to defeat Sin. Romance can wait!" declared Cid.
Alexander shook his head and sighed deeply. "He sure picked a fine time to lay this on us."
"Maybe it is a fine time," whispered Sara in a low voice. "If my getting married would help Gaia…if it would make people happy…If I could do that for the people…maybe I should do what I can. I never imagined to do anything like this. But I won't know the answer till I know what's right."
"You could always just quit your pilgrimage and get married," offered Helena.
"I will go on," Sara said bravely. "I'm sure Lord Seymour will understand." Helena looked unsure. She turned to her. "I am a summoner! I must fight and defeat Sin."
"Like Cid before you," added Auron.
"I'm going to the Farplane to see my father and think on this," decided the summoner.
Cid had to stop himself from screaming out "What is there to think about?" Why wouldn't the others ask her: Do you love him? Do you even like him?
They walked along through a tunnel in Guadosalam to the entrance to the Farplane. It was a narrow passageway and they had to walk single file. As they walked up the final passage of stairs, Cid noticed that Auron would not be joining them.
"Aren't you coming?" he asked.
"I don't belong there. Searching the past to find the future…This is all that is there. I need it not."
Also Helena was staying there too. "You're not really going to see the dead, more like your memories of them. People think of their relatives, and the pyreflies react to them. They take on the form of a dead person – an illusion, nothing else." Cid looked at her thoughtfully. "Well, have fun!"
"You're not going either?" complained Cid.
"I keep my memories inside. Memories are nice, but they're all they are."
The group arrived at a large circular platform made of stone and wood. There were various spires coming out of the sides. It seemed to be surrounded by clouds, but as soon as they entered, the fog vanished to reveal a magnificent garden-like scene where there were huge waterfalls and clusters of pink flowers.
First Cid went to talk with Lulu, who was looking at the ghostly image of a man who dressed like Alexander with flaming red hair. "He is dead, and I am still alive. Coming here really makes that clear. I should focus on what I have to do now." Cid looked at her, perplexed. "I'm not even sure what I'm saying."
"Don't you mean you should leave him behind? I'm sure he was a great guy but there will always be others," suggested the guardian. "Maybe Alexander…"
"Me? With Alexander?"
"You two get along great!" complimented Cid.
Lulu shook her head. "Getting along isn't enough. Not even close. You'd do well to remember that. Knowing a bit about women might come in handy some day." Cid left her alone after that.
"I've decided," said Sara finally. "I remember, in Bevelle that day. Cid had just defeated Sin, and the whole town was out in the streets. Everybody was laughing. They all seemed so happy. If I defeated Sin, that would make everyone happy…wouldn't it? I must do what everyone wants, not just what I want."
They returned to Auron and Helena. "Thanks for waiting," said Sara. "I'll go give my answer to Maester Seymour."
Suddenly a strange silhouette of a Guado began to appear and walked down the steps. "Lord Jyscal!" screamed two Guado at once.
Auron ordered, "He does not belong here. Send him." Nobody noticed, except for Cid, that he had dropped to his knees. Sara ran up the steps and performed a miniature Sending. Lord Jyscal vanished into pyreflies.
The summoner went back to her guardians. "I don't understand how a man like Lord Jyscal could die and not be sent," she said with much dismay.
"I would think that he was sent once, but he stayed on Gaia. Something, a powerful emotion could have bound him to the world. Such things happen," guessed Lulu.
"That's against the rules, isn't it?" asked Helena.
"It means he died an unclean death," grunted Auron.
Sara went through the red double doors and into Maester Seymour's household. Meanwhile, as they waited, Cid went to talk with the others.
"So, Lulu, what do you think about Sara getting married?"
"As long as the pilgrimage continues, either way is fine with me. People marry for many reasons. Sometimes marriage doesn't require love. Defeat Sin, and bring joy to the people of Gaia. Get married, and bring joy to the people of Gaia. For her, they're just two ways down the same road. All you need is determination. If you have that, you don't need love." Cid studied her for a moment. "If Sara is to marry, I would want her to marry for love. But if she said she wanted to marry the man she loves, I would have to object."
"What? You're not making much sense," commented Cid.
"I know…" was her response. "You'll understand one of these days. I just don't want to give it words. I shouldn't have to say this, but don't fall in love with her." Cid nodded solemnly, but somewhere in his heart there was doubt. It was undeniable that Cid had affection towards Sara, maybe even jealousy of the Maester. But that was not his position. He was supposed to protect Sara to the end of the pilgrimage, where she obtains the Final Aeon to defeat Sin.
A young female priest ran to Cid as he was exploring. "Was the lady summoner with you?" she asked.
"She went to the Maester's household," answered Cid.
"Maester Seymour left Guadosalam awhile ago. I think he went to the temple in Macalania. Maester Seymour is also the high priest of that temple," she explained.
Cid left to go tell the others. Helena called for Sara to leave, who come out minutes later. "They say he went to Macalania Temple."
Alexander rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "What I don't get is this: Why would the lord Maester run off without warning to anyone?" he wondered.
"Maybe he wasn't expecting Sara's answer soon," suggested Helena. Alexander nodded at her in agreement.
"Sara, what is it?" asked Auron.
"Oh, nothing!" answered Sara.
"You're a poor liar."
"It's true! It's nothing! Come on, let's go."