Part XIIII: Melting Fears and Doubts

Sometime during the night Rydia opened one eye and thought she heard a sad, melodic tune drifting on the air. She propped herself up on one elbow and strained her ears to listen to the notes rise and fall in a steady, but unhurried rhythm. She closed her eyes again and stayed still, letting the music take her thoughts away. It was almost as if a spell held her attention, she couldn't pry herself away from its beautiful sound.

When the music abruptly stopped, the melody interrupted, Rydia opened her eyes and gazed into the darkness of the room. She wondered what time of day it was, and slowly pulled her blanket away and crawled across the floor in the direction of the door.

On her way, she stumbled over Edward's blankets and noticed that he wasn't there. Confused, she continued anyway to the door, reached it, and lifted the handle to peer down the long hardwood hallway of the old couple's home. The moon was out and the light it cast filtered into the home through the front windows, faintly illuminating the home with an eerie blue glow.

It was night already? Rydia's eyebrows rose when she realized she had slept the entire day away. She closed the door again and crawled back to her bed, hoping she could fall asleep again until the next morning if it wasn't morning already.

While she curled up into her blanket, she suddenly realized what she would have to face in the morning--the ice blocking the pass through the mountains. She couldn't-- wouldn't cast fire. It was the first time since Tellah's departure that she really wished he'd come back so he could cast the spell and not she. She didn't want to prove herself like she had in the water caverns; she just wanted to get to the other side of the mountains as quickly as possible. Rydia scrunched her eyes shut harder, hoping that no one would remember in the morning, and would find a different way to solve the problem.

It took quite a while before sleep finally took her over, and hid her fears into the back corners of her mind.

…………………………………………….

In the morning Rydia was rudely awaked by Edward, who she found furiously packing his harp and other equipment into a sack.

She immediately sat up and noticed that both Cecil and Rosa were missing. Her gaze returned to the distracted bard, and she watched as he folded up his bedding and did everything in such a hasty manner, that he didn't even notice her.

"What's going on?" she asked innocently, yet slightly perplexed.

Edward stopped, his eyes snapping onto her as if she had just popped out of the ground. "We have to keep moving. We need to reach the pass and protect the people. Anna would have wanted it. Anna—"

"Edward…" Rydia said softly. "Where are Cecil and Rosa?"

He shook his head and pointed at the door.

"They left earlier this morning. They're in the town."

Rydia threw her blanket off and ran through the doorway and into the hall. She smiled at the old couple when she saw them at the end of the hall, and continued until she was out of the house and standing in the sun.

The air was already hot, but there was a slight breeze from the lake and Rydia walked in its direction. When she rounded the corner of the house she saw Cecil and Rosa sitting on a small bench near the water beneath the shade of a beautiful tree. Rydia discovered that Cecil's helmet was still off, as was most of his armor. She walked towards them, and as she got nearer, she saw Rosa leaning her head on Cecil's shoulder, and Cecil wrapping his arm around Rosa's waist. They looked so happy and content, not so worried or concerned as they had the night before. Cecil had been fairly stern with Rosa when they first arrived, but Rydia knew it stemmed from his concern for her health, and his fear that the ruby wouldn't work completely--she had been worried herself. But now they looked genuinely happy, and it made Rydia glad that the worrying was over. She had so many questions for the golden haired woman, and so many things to tell her.

She came up to them from behind and slowly stepped around so that she was facing them from the side.

Cecil was the first to see her, and his clear blue eyes caught her in their gaze. He released his hold on Rosa's waist, and instead, leaned forward, resting his chin in his hands.

"What is it, Rydia?" he asked.

Rydia stood completely still for perhaps a second longer than she wanted to. She couldn't stop staring. She hadn't expected his eyes to be so clear or so blue. It was the first time she had really gotten to see his eyes without his helmet since they first met. The other night she hadn't even noticed because the room had been dimly lit and her attention had been mostly devoted to Rosa. But now that she saw them, she didn't understand something--those eyes weren't intended for black armor; they were kind, honest, and they sparkled with something, but she couldn't tell what.

Discovering that he was still waiting for her to say something with his eyebrows raised, she shook herself out of her stupor.

"I was just looking for you," she answered cheerfully. "How are you feeling, Rosa? We were really worried about you!"

Rosa smiled, her cheeks blushing faintly. "I feel wonderful; much better than before. I really can't thank you enough for all that you did to help Cecil."

Rydia blushed. "We went to help you, and I was glad I could help too."

"Rydia, tell me something," Rosa inquired. "How old are you?"

"I'm seven!" she announced.

"And you went with Cecil all this way?"

Rydia emphatically nodded her head. "We have to help other people from being hurt like the people from my home and Damcyan. I just want to help."

"You're a brave girl, Rydia. I'm sure you'll do great things in the future," Rosa told her, her golden hair tumbling from her shoulders and a reassuring smile on her lips.

Rydia liked Rosa already, despite her jealousy of the other woman's hair. She was kind, and her smile was genuine. In a small way, Rosa even reminded her of her mother.

Cecil finally pulled his head up from his hands and sat upright, glancing at Rosa beside him.

"We should probably get moving," he said. "It's a long way back across Damcyan."

"I'll go get Edward!" Rydia said excitedly, and ran off towards the house, leaving Cecil and Rosa to follow behind her decidedly slower.

Rydia found Edward right where she'd left him, still sitting on the floor looking intently at his gear.

"Edward, Cecil's decided we're leaving," Rydia told him when she stepped into the room.

He barely registered her presence, and Rydia frowned. "What's wrong?"

His vacant eyes dragged their gaze across the floor and finally met her own. He just stared at her, sad and haunted at the same time.

"I don't know what to do. I'm lost. I don't know how to help anyone," he told her, deadpan.

Rydia shifted her weight onto one foot and glared at him. "But you do know how to help people! You helped us find the ruby, and you got us all the way here before it was too late! We're going to help Fabul now, and if you're coming with us, you'll be helping them too!"

A slight bit of warmth touched Edward's eyes. "Rydia…You're right. I'm sorry, I just…it's just so easy to doubt when you've lost so much."

Rydia walked up to him and sat down, resting a hand on his shoulder. "I lost my home too. But I know that I have to keep on going for them--for my mother. I'm going with Cecil because he protected me, and because he wants to protect other people."

"Rydia, you're an incredible girl. I don't know if I've ever met anyone as brave as you."

Rydia blushed at the compliment. "What about you?"

Edward looked away and thought about her question. "Yes. I'll go with Cecil and help him help others. Even if I can't do much on my own, I want to look back and know that I did something."

Rydia gave him an encouraging smile. "You want to know something?" she asked.

Edward looked at her curiously.

"That was brave, what you just said."

He smiled back at her then, picked up his equipment, and stood. "Thank you, Rydia. I think I'm ready to leave now."

She smiled back and stood up herself. As Rydia was standing, Cecil re-entered the room with Rosa.

"We should gather all of our things and prepare to leave. We'll need to reach Fabul as quickly as possible," he said as he crossed the room to Rosa's bed and picked up his armor.

Rosa watched Cecil for a moment and then picked up a slender bow and quiver from a table at the foot of the bed. She was dressed in white robes, and her beautiful hair had been pulled up into a high ponytail.

Rydia watched her companions gather their things, and then picked up her own pack.

"I'm ready to leave whenever you are!" she told them.

Cecil smiled at her, and that was the last Rydia saw of his face as it was covered once more by his helmet.

"Do we have everything?" Cecil asked.

Everyone nodded, and Cecil led the way out of the room and down the hallway. They thanked the old couple, wished them well, and once again stepped out into the unforgiving desert sun.

Edward had tethered the hovercraft just outside of the village, and he quickly released it from its resting place and brought it into the air.

The rest of them hopped onto it and when they had settled, Edward brought the craft around and threw its controls into full power.

Rydia's unruly green hair blew away from her face as she leaned into the wind. It was such a wonderful feeling, to be flying. She looked back at Rosa and Cecil who were sitting next to each other in the back of the craft, and between the strands of green hair that whipped past her eyes, she saw Rosa smiling back at her.

Edward continued to fly them all through the morning, taking them once again to the shallows that would take them to Damcyan. It was late afternoon by the time they found land again, and late evening when they had crossed most of the Damcyan desert. Edward brought them to a stop near the opposite shore of Damcyan, in the rocky outcroppings that dotted the coast. He parked the hovercraft on top of one of the ledges and they set camp under the protection of one of its cliffs.

Cecil got a small fire started from driftwood he found lying around, and Rosa pulled out a small pack that contained food. She set the food out and Rydia sat down next to her, helping to prepare things.

When the fire was burning brightly, and the food had been doled out, they all sat in a small circle around the fire and ate.

It was quiet for awhile until Rosa spoke.

"Cecil, you asked me about Golbez, and I was so distracted I forgot to ask you something."

Cecil, who had once again removed his helmet to eat, stared intently at her across the fire.

"Wasn't Kain with you when you set out from Baron?"

Rydia noticed Cecil's face darken.

"He was."

"Has he gone ahead of us to wait, or has something happened to him?"

"He hasn't gone ahead. I awoke after the earthquake in Mist to find him gone. He'd been acting a bit off, not like the Kain we've always known. I have no idea where he is, if he ran off, or if he was killed."

Rosa's fine features looked troubled and she stared into the fire with worry in her eyes.

"I had hoped he wasn't being serious…" she said softly.

"Serious about what?" Cecil asked.

Rosa shook her head. "He said he was tired of the king looking down on him and his command. He wanted to do something that would re-establish his standing with the king, and he wanted to do it alone."

Cecil sighed. "He would."

Edward couldn't help himself and intervened. "Who is this Kain you keep talking about?"

"A childhood friend, and an excellent warrior. He disappeared some weeks ago in Mist."

"Disappeared?"

"Disappeared or worse. He tried to fight my decision of what to do with Mist, and afterwards vanished when the valley collapsed," Cecil answered, careful to avoid as many references to the destruction of Mist as possible with Rydia present.

"I hope he's alright," Rosa added quietly.

Cecil didn't say anything else about Kain, just stared into the dancing flames with a resolute expression on his face.

"Rosa, why did you leave Baron?" he asked.

"No one had heard from you for awhile, and the king decided to send scouts to Mist to see if you had completed the mission. They said the valley had collapsed, and that the village was in ruin. When they reported that you and Kain weren't among the ruins, I thought that maybe you'd escaped and gone somewhere else. When I heard a second report that a survivor had said something about a girl being kidnapped by a knight, I determined to set out after you. The king wanted you brought back to answer for taking a prisoner, but when he sent his other knights, I knew something was wrong. I stowed aboard their airship, and when they stopped briefly in the mountains I got off and tried to make the rest of the journey by foot. I never made it, though."

Rydia quietly sat and listened to what Cecil and Rosa were saying. She realized that the girl being kidnapped by the knight was her. But then she remembered the first part. Someone had told the scout about Cecil taking her from the village—a survivor.

"Rosa," she suddenly interjected, "A survivor said he saw Cecil and me? Someone else survived?"

Rosa shifted her gaze to Rydia. "That was you, Rydia?"

Rydia nodded, but drove once again to the original question. "So there really were survivors?"

Rosa's eyes flitted away from her to Cecil. "I know there were, but I don't know if there still are. I'm sorry, Rydia."

Rydia looked into Rosa's face for any kind of reassurance, and when she didn't find any, let her gaze drop down to the coals of the fire. She really was the last of her kind.

"What's become of Baron?" Edward asked quietly, more to himself than anyone else.

"I don't know…" Rosa replied, then stood and unrolled her bedding. She was wrapped up thoroughly in her blanket before she said anything else. "All we can do now is reach Fabul and make sure Baron doesn't kill any more innocent lives."

"She's right," Cecil acknowledged. "We should all get some rest for tomorrow. We have a lot facing us."

Rydia knew he was right, but after sleeping for a full day and a night, she wasn't very tired. She was too anxious now to be tired. They were close to the mountains that would take them to Fabul, but that meant they were that much closer to her having to cast fire. The talk of Mist had put her mind back into thinking about her fear of fire, and she was already dreading the morning.

She watched Cecil and Edward set up their bedding, and even after they had

drifted off to sleep, continued to gaze into the small fire burning between all of them.

It was very late before the flickering flames finally sent her off to asleep as well.

………………………………………………………………

Cecil woke everyone up in the morning, and buried the embers of the fire with earth. Rydia opened her eyes and groaned. She had fallen asleep on the bare ground and felt like her back was bruised and twisted in hundreds of ways. She pulled herself up and gathered her things, joining Rosa and Edward at the hovercraft.

"How much farther is it?" Cecil was asking Edward.

"Only a few more hours, we should be there before the afternoon."

Cecil looked at Rosa and then at Rydia. "Are we all ready?"

Rosa nodded and Rydia averted her eyes, tacitly giving her reply.

"I guess we're off then," Cecil stated, joining Edward in the hovercraft.

Rydia and Rosa climbed in after him, and once again they were off. True to his word, Edward got them to Mt. Hobbs before the afternoon. The mountain loomed over them and they set the hovercraft down in its shadow.

Cecil and Rosa jumped down from the hovercraft and Rydia followed, staring up at the mountain in front of them. She could feel a stiff breeze coming down from the mountain and shivered when it crossed her face.

Edward finally left the hovercraft and joined them. Together they hiked across the foothills and towards the base of the mountain. Even from a distance, Rydia could see the paths carved into the rock face and how they crisscrossed back and forth to the summit. When they reached the base of the mountain, the only path leading up was slick and covered with thick ice and snow, just as Edward had told them earlier.

Rosa stepped forward and examined the challenge in front of them. She turned back around and looked directly at Rydia, who tried her best to avoid the other woman's gaze.

"Rydia can you at least try to cast the fire spell?"

When Rydia didn't respond, Rosa frowned.

"What's the matter, Rydia?" Edward asked, looking down at her, concerned.

"Just try it, Rydia. I know you can do it," Rosa prodded.

Rydia shook her head. "No."

Rosa tilted her head slightly to one side, confused.

"I—I hate fire."

"The fire in Mist…" Cecil finished for her. "Rosa, she has good reason for not casting the spell."

Rosa looked at Cecil sadly, then re-directed her eyes at Rydia. She walked up to her and knelt down, resting her hands on both of Rydia's shoulders.

"Rydia, I know this is hard, but only you can melt this ice."

Rydia, overcome with emotion, pushed herself away from the older woman's grasp, tears streaming from her eyes. "No! You don't understand! I hate fire! Fire was the spell my mother was going to teach me the morning she died! She died in a fire, and I won't cast it! I can't!"

Rosa looked away, and stood back up at a loss for words. It was Edward who took over for her.

"Rydia," he said softly, calmly, "You've done so much. You've helped me; you've helped Cecil and Rosa. You are the only one who can do this. If we don't reach the other side of this mountain, more innocent lives will be lost. Remember what you told me about being brave? You taught me to face fear head-on. If you don't overcome your fear of fire now, when will you? Will you let it chase you your entire life, or will you defeat it now?"

Rydia listened to him, and in her heart, knew he was right. Being afraid the rest of her life wasn't going to solve anything. She continued to stare at the ground through her tears until she made up her mind and resolutely stepped forward, past her companions.

She began to say the words she had used with her other spells, only modifying them here and there to fit her purpose. She spoke words that were vague but familiar. Words that brought back memories; some she wanted to remember and others that she didn't. When she finally felt she had said them all, she spoke the final word, releasing the spell. A strong current of warm air stirred up around the ice, warming until the air started on fire, sweeping through the snow and melting it. The heated air crackled and shimmered and then dissipated, the fire spell exhausted.

"You did it, Rydia," Edward said in awe.

"I knew you could do it, Rydia," Rosa told her.

Rydia simply stood firmly in place and stared relieved at the opened path in front of them. She really had cast fire. She had beaten her fear, and now they could reach Fabul to save the people there from Baron's power.

She was still half dazed when Cecil walked up behind her and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"I know what this meant to you, Rydia. Thank you."

Rydia smiled and looked up at Cecil gratefully. "I hope she'd be proud of me," she added with a touch of doubt in her voice.

Cecil looked up the path they were about to climb and then back at the little girl beside him. "I'm sure she is, Rydia. I'm sure she is…"

…………………………………………………………….

Author's note: Hurrah! An update within a week! This one's longer than the others, mostly because I was actually feeling some inspiration. That, and I finally got a phone call! Woot! This chapter was a challenge, but also quite a bit of fun. There was a lot to put into it, and I hope it turned out alright, but I'll let you be the judge of that! There may be some errors here and there, but if I spend any more time editing this, it won't get posted for another week. I also was considering writing this chapter all the way through Yang, but figured that Yang deserved his own chapter, and so ended things where I did.

Some notes: The beginning scene where Rydia hears music is when Edward is having his phantom vision of Anna at the lake.

I tried to add a /bit/ more fluff between Rosa and Cecil without making it overly romantic at this point (I'm waiting for Cecil to finally wake up to his feelings about Rosa after Fabul before I add more romance between them)

Also, the final scene, notice that I have Cecil tell Rydia that her mother would be proud of her in the present tense and not the past tense. Not something that's super huge, but it kind of is…dunno. Just thought I'd mention that.

Aaand, I also thought I should alert you to something I will be doing with this story. Escaping the Flames is actually drawing to a close. There's only about three or four chapters left to it, but not to worry. Though this story is ending, it will be picking up again under a different name. I wanted to separate into "parts" the events of Rydia's life. Escaping the Flames is essentially her childhood up until the Land of Summoned Monsters. The second "part" will be her experiences in the Land of Summoned Monsters, and the last "part" will be when she reunites with the party as a young adult. If that makes any sense. At any rate, we're drawing closer and closer to the end of this fic

I'll keep you posted!

myth.