My goodness…definitely did not think this chapter would take me so long to write, but it was a lot more work than I thought. Didn't know how I wanted it at first, and then got distracted by work and family, and thus, it has now been…two weeks? Well, I'll leave it at that, and get you all back to chapter eleven! And thanks again to all of you who've been reading and reviewing! I really appreciate your support! 

myth.

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Part XI: Trouble Across the Sands

Once they passed through the rushing water of the falls, they found themselves in a narrow tunnel that led upwards. It was a steady incline, and far ahead they could see another opening with light streaming through, only this time the light coming from the other side was golden, not green.

As they neared the end of the rock tunnel, Rydia felt the air warm as steadily as the path rose up before them. By the time they came to the opening, it was so hot it was stifling. Rydia had to gasp, surprised by the heat. Cecil also felt the full force of the heat and seemed to sway backwards when it really hit him.

They passed through the opening and found themselves standing on a large precipice overlooking a desert valley. They shielded their eyes from the unforgiving sun and tried to figure out where exactly they should be headed. They climbed over a few boulders and followed the ridge of low mountains for some distance until they began to descend into low, cracked-dirt hills. Once they passed away from the higher ledges and crags of the mountain surrounding the cavern, they could see more than just the valley, but a whole horizon of tawny sand that shimmered in the heat. Even farther in the distance they saw a wavering black speck standing out against the sand, and Tellah was the first to identify it.

"That is the castle of Damcyan, the desert jewel of the north, and home of the crystal of flame."

"It's so far away, though," Rydia intoned, already exhausted by the heat and not excited by having to cross the entire desert.

"Only a day's walk, really," Tellah told her.

"Wait. What is that sound?" Cecil suddenly asked.

The old man paused and tilted his head. "I don't hear any—"

Cecil held up his hand to silence the old man as an unusual humming on the air could be heard.

"I hear it!" Rydia exclaimed.

"I think it's coming from above," Cecil said, cautiously watching the skies.

The faint humming soon became a powerful drone. The three of them stopped and looked up to see three huge objects flying overhead.

"The Red Wings," Cecil muttered. "We need to hurry! Tellah, is there any spell you know that can take us directly to the castle?"

"I don't know if I can recall any. Why, what's this about?"

"The Red Wings are after the crystal, they have to be! If they meet resistance, they won't hesitate to kill!"

"What!" Tellah demanded.

Rydia stared wide-eyed at Cecil and then at the flying airships. Not a moment later, several large explosions could be seen over the sands, the sound of the explosions reaching them a few minutes later.

"It's already begun…We need to get there as quickly as we can!" Cecil insisted, and started running down the hill.

"Wait!" Tellah shouted. "Cecil wait!"

Cecil finally turned and Tellah shuffled down the hill to meet him, Rydia bounding after.

"I think I know a spell that might work. Hold on to me!"

Tellah chanted, and half-way through, the world began to melt around them, like a wet painting smeared by careless fingers. Rydia stared out into their liquid surroundings in awe, but everything soon hardened again into identifiable shapes, and they found themselves face to face with a large stone wall jutting up out of the flat ground, the mountains far away behind them.

"We made it?" Cecil asked.

"It actually worked!" Tellah said triumphantly, but immediately set himself to the purpose of finding a way inside the castle.

While Tellah searched, Cecil and Rydia both paused and stared up at the wall. It was badly damaged, and they could smell smoke coming from the inside. A few bodies were sprawled on the ground, burned and bloodied; the casualties of the explosions.

Rydia felt tears well up in her eyes and balled her hands into fists. Who would do this? She wondered.

Cecil laid a hand on her shoulders and led her away in the direction Tellah was headed.

They followed the length of the wall until at last they came to an entrance. Rydia guessed it was once a main gate, but it was so destroyed in the attack all that was left of it was the hinges.

Tellah had already passed through and was halfway across the inner courtyard by the time Cecil and Rydia entered.

There was fire everywhere, and smoke billowing up from the battered towers. The farther in they traveled, the more bodies they found as well. This time the culprit was arrows, not the explosion.

Rydia had a difficult time keeping her head clear. The sights, the smells…They were so familiar, and in her mind replayed all the images of barely a month ago. Her mother, the other villagers…Tears welled up in her eyes.

"This is the work of Baron…" Cecil said darkly. "This is the work of the man I once served without question…"

While they picked their way through the wreckage and death of the castle's courtyard, Tellah had disappeared through a set of doors that led to the main structure of the castle. There was a staircase behind the doors, and it climbed into the belly of the castle's interior.

Rydia and Cecil followed sometime after. They found the elegant stonework that had once graced the staircase walls scarred and chipped, and had a difficult time breathing. The higher up the staircase they climbed, the worse the smoke filtering down became.

The castle had been built up, not out, and to reach the throne of the king, one had to climb its various levels to the top. There were guards lying on the stone floor of every level, and as they continued to climb, Rydia began to fear that no one had survived the attack.

Tellah was still ahead of them, but as they reached the base of another staircase, they heard him yell in anguish the name of his daughter.

Cecil led the sprint up the stairs, and when they reached the top between the smoke and dust, they saw the body of a young woman with red hair lying on the floor. A young man with long golden hair stood beside her sobbing, and before Cecil and Rydia could fully assess the situation, Tellah had already raised his staff and charged.

"You!" the old man snarled.

The young man, caught off guard, stood back and raised his hands. "No! Please!"

Rydia saw he was wearing fine clothes and carried a harp, and then she understood. This was the bard who'd run off with Tellah's daughter.

"I'll kill you for this! How could you do this to my daughter!"

"Please listen, the Red Wings' attack…"

"Shut-up!" Tellah shouted, the hand holding the staff shaking in anger.

The young man fled backwards, away from the raging old man.

"Please!"

"You—You SPOONY bard!" Tellah snapped, exasperated.

The young man had finally backed himself into a corner, and Tellah was about to strike, when a voice pierced through his angry assault.

"Father, stop!"

The young man spared, everyone's attention turned to the woman on the floor. Tellah was the first to reach her.

"Anna! You're alive!" he exclaimed, unable to keep his emotions in check.

Rydia and Cecil moved closer and saw the girl alive, but struggling for air. She had been pierced by three arrows and it was a miracle she was still conscious. Tellah leaned over his daughter and stroked her hair. She was beautiful, but her face was pained and she remained completely serious when she spoke again.

"Father, forgive me for running away, but I love Edward. He is the prince of Damcyan, and we were about to return to Kaipo to speak with you and put an end to this quarrel when the Red Wings attacked."

"Anna…"

"The Red Wings attacked so quickly, there was so little time. They were being led by Golbez, I think that's what they called him. He took each level by force, made my parents open the chamber to the crystal, and there he killed them. Anna and I were trying to escape, but they caught sight of us and Anna was in the path of the arrows."

"It's true, father. This wasn't Edward's fault."

Tellah wiped the tears from his eyes.

"I love you, father, but understand that this was my choice."

She held her father's gaze as she said this, and then coughed painfully, blood showing at the corners of her mouth. She took one more gasp of air, one final breath, and then she was still. Tellah sat in silence for a moment, then closed her eyes and smoothed her hair, looked on her one more time, and stood up.

Edward dropped to the floor and began to weep, not caring who saw him.

"Stop it! Crying's not going to bring her back!" Tellah growled, then turned away from the others and started to walk towards the staircase.

"If it was Golbez who did this, it is Golbez who will die for it. I will make sure he knows whose daughter he murdered."

Rydia took her eyes away from the girl and looked at Tellah, then Cecil, who quickly stepped forward and grasped the old man's arm.

Tellah swung with his staff and struck Cecil's hand away.

"I don't need your help! I will avenge my daughter's death my own way!" he snapped, then hurried down the stairs and left them.

Cecil, stunned, watched the empty staircase for a few minutes, and then returned to Rydia and the prince who was still weeping for his love.

"Anna! Anna, Anna! Please wake up!"

He held both her shoulders and tried to shake her awake as if she were only sleeping.

Rydia, still overwhelmed by what they had seen, had become a bit cold to the prince's behavior. Didn't he understand she was gone? She watched him shake his love, watched as he tried to bring her back, but Anna never opened her eyes. Her crimson hair, like blood, like fire, reminded Rydia of her mother. The last image of her mother lying cold on the ground was too much. Too much destruction, too much death, and far too many tears…she had finally had enough.

"Stop it! Stop crying! She's gone! You are a man, a grown-up! You're not the only one who has lost loved ones!" and at that, her voice broke.

"Rydia…" Cecil said quietly.

"I don't care! Leave me, because I'm not leaving this spot! I won't be parted from her side," the prince sobbed.

Now Cecil had had enough. He walked up behind the prince, pulled him to his feet, and struck him hard across the shoulders.

"Wake up! You have responsibilities! You are now the rightful ruler of Damcyan, so start acting like it! You owe it to your people, most of all, you owe it to Anna. King of Damcyan, my name is Cecil, and I need your help."

"But I'm useless; I'm not strong, I'm not brave, I'm of no use to anybody."

Cecil paused. "You're of use to me. My friend is suffering from desert fever in Kaipo, and I need the sand ruby to cure her. Can you help me find it, your majesty?"

The prince looked up with reddened eyes. "Your friend, what is her name?"

"Her name is Rosa."

"Rosa…she must be very dear to you for you to have traveled all this way. Just like Anna was to me--worth traveling any distance for." Here he paused, collected himself, and then continued. "The sand ruby can be found in a cave to the east of here. It is formed from the fluid an antlion secretes when it lays its eggs. We can take a hovercraft to reach the cave, and then take it across the shallows to Kaipo once we have the ruby."

"Thank you, but we must hurry."

"This way, I'll take you to the hovercraft," Edward said, stepping reluctantly around his love and towards the stairs. "You can make preparations, but there a few things I must do first before we leave here," he added, speaking over his shoulder.

Cecil nodded and took Rydia again by the shoulders. Together they left the room, leaving the sad scene behind them, and hoping they wouldn't be met with a similar one once they reached Kaipo. Edward met them at the bottom of the stairs and after they'd passed, returned to the top floor.

He looked at the form of his love lying broken on the floor. Her beautiful face at rest, her hair a soft pillow beneath her head; she looked so peaceful…But as he looked at her she began to fade from his vision until there was nothing in the room but emptiness. He guessed it was some enchantment, something Tellah had done, but once she was gone it became real to him. She was gone. Yet here he was, the ruler of his country standing alone.

He continued to stare through bleary eyes at where she had last been lying on the floor. After a few minutes he finally turned, but before he retreated back down the stairs, he took the time to say one last thing:

"Good-bye, Anna."