Chapter Nineteen
Alma's funeral gathering had ended a few hours ago. Lady Agrias Oaks was feeling tremendously upset, though probably not due to the reasons one might expect.
She did not exactly need to mourn the loss of Alma Beoulve, since the noblewoman was, in fact, sitting only a few feet to her left. Alma was not quite acting like the same cheerful maiden she had been before her many kidnappings… But still, she was very much alive.
Agrias had an entirely different reason to be disturbed, and it was thanks to Olan Durai.
Agrias, Ramza, and the rest of their crew had only bothered to stalk Alma's honorary funeral in hopes of finding the young Astrologer, who was Cidolfus Orlandu's adopted son.
Luckily, Olan had, indeed, attended the funeral of Alma Beoulve, as Ramza had suspected he would. When the ceremony was finished, and most of the sparse crowd of mourners had left the cemetery, Ramza and Alma had allowed Olan to spot them riding chocobos nearby. Olan had taken the bait (who could possibly resist?), and followed their trail into the nearby sea of tall golden grass. Once they were far enough away from civilization, they had stopped running and Ramza had greeted the befuddled Olan as an old friend.
Olan had agreed to follow the Beoulve siblings the rest of the way to their campsite, where the others awaited, even though he knew Balmafula would be furious that he had left her behind at the cemetery. Ramza asked Olan not to go back to get her yet, since that would simply be another opportunity for Olan to be followed and their crew to be found, if any spies from the Church had eyes on the cemetery right now.
When Ramza, Alma, and Olan arrived at the temporary campsite, Agrias saw a weary-looking Ramza walk Olan a distance away from the rest of them, for some additional privacy.
This was the reason they had come here, really. Ramza felt he owed it to Olan to tell him, in person, about the fate of his father.
Cid had died so bravely during their fight with Ajora. Truly, it was a miracle that the Thunder God was their only casualty from their many fights in the depths of Hell. Agrias was certain that many more of them would have died, if Cid had not selflessly held Ajora back for them at a critical moment. Still, it made Agrias' eyes fill with tears every time she thought of him.
They all missed Cid's presence in the group. Now that he was not here, she realized that having Thunder God Cid in the party had always rather given her a sense that they were protected, and that they were making the right choices. With Cid around, it didn't feel like they were a foolish group of fumbling young people. After all, if the Thunder God was willing to travel with them, then they must be doing something right?
Now Agrias did sort of feel like they were nothing more than a silly band of young criminals. Even though they had probably saved the world from doom, by killing Ajora.
She hated that Cid had died, and that she hadn't been able to protect him, in return for all that silent support he had offered them on their travels. They hadn't even been able to say goodbye to him. And she missed that deep old-man laugh of his, and his wiry gray beard, and she even missed scolding Alicia for her strange little crush on the Thunder God, who had not ever actually seemed interested in Alicia's clumsy attempts at flirtation with him.
Agrias could only imagine how much it must hurt for Olan, now, to learn that his father was gone.
Ramza and Olan stayed in their private conference for quite a while, before they stood up and rejoined the rest of the group. Olan looked like he had been crying earlier, but his face was dry now. He seemed to want to keep himself composed enough to take advantage of this one opportunity to speak with them about their adventures and the Lucavi demons and the many important figures who had gone missing in Ivalice.
They did their best to tell him everything they could think of. And Olan did the same in kind, telling them anything he thought might be useful to them about the current political climate in Ivalice, and what was being said lately about the heretic, Ramza Beoulve, and his heretic friends.
Time had apparently passed differently, during their travels through Hell. It had felt like they had only been inside the netherworld for about three days, total. But when they escaped, they found that almost three months had passed in the real world. It was now autumn in Ivalice, and it had still been summer on the day they arrived at Orbonne Monastery to confront Vormav.
Since their return, they had already heard enough gossip in taverns, over the past couple weeks, to be aware that Delita Hyral and Ovelia Atkascha were now the king and queen of Ivalice.
But Olan knew more than just those basic facts. He had seen the king and queen in person; spoken intimately with both of them. Recently.
And Olan said that Ovelia was frightened and unhappy with Delita.
Agrias felt that what little sense of security she had left in her own wind-blown life had been ripped to shreds by his words.
She could have borne it that Ovelia was married to Delita, if it meant that Ovelia was happy, and had the sort of security that Agrias herself had given up, in the name of protecting Ivalice.
Agrias could have swallowed her own jealousy now, and moved on to make a life under a new name, in a different country, where she would not be hunted as a heretic.
But, this? She could not leave Ivalice, now! Not knowing that Queen Ovelia was frightened of her own husband.
Agrias knew only too well that a crown did not guarantee a woman her safety. Gods, it was more likely to do the opposite! Ovelia would certainly not be the first monarch in Ivalice to suffer a "mysterious illness," leaving her scheming husband as the sole power on the throne, if Delita one day decided he would be better off without his unhappy queen.
Agrias knew what she was going to do, almost as soon as Olan had spoken those words. But she did not tell the others until Olan had said his goodbyes and left them, probably never to see any of them ever again. She didn't know Olan as well as Ramza did, didn't trust him as much as Ramza did, and so she did not want the Astrologer to know her plan.
"I must go to see Ovelia, myself," Agrias said stoically to Ramza. "I am not going to Ordallia with you, after all."
Ramza was silent for a long moment.
Meliadoul finally exclaimed, "But… you…! You know you will not be able to see her! You are still a heretic, and she is the queen!"
"Well, I will find a way," Agrias said.
"Agrias, we are all worried about her, after what Olan told us," Ramza said, "but the Church still hunts us. I've no idea whether Delita would help you or hand you over to them, if he found you in Lesalia. I truly do not see a way for you to visit the queen of Ivalice, without being captured."
"If I am captured, then so be it!" Agrias snapped. "I should rather die trying to help her, than live to be an old woman, knowing she was in danger and I did nothing!"
Alma looked curiously at Agrias, as she said this. The Beoulve girl had barely spoken ten words to them in the past couple weeks, but this fight over her old friend, Ovelia, seemed to have slightly piqued her interest.
Very slightly. Alma still did not bother to join in and say anything.
"What would you do?" Malak asked, in his reasonable, low voice, "If you met with her? If she truly is in danger, what could you do? You have no authority here."
"I would do whatever I must! I would slay her evil fiend of a husband and steal her out of Ivalice, if I had to!" Agrias said, glaring at Malak.
"And throw the country into another war over the throne?" Ramza said quietly, sounding both sad and disgusted. "After all we have already done?"
Agrias was silent, though she still seethed with worry and rage. She hated to hear the hurt in Ramza's voice. She rather cruelly wished he would just disappear from this argument. Malak's skepticism, she could handle. Ramza's pain… not so much.
But what about her own pain? Why couldn't Ramza see that she had to do something to help Ovelia?
"Who says you have to slay her husband, anyway?" Balthier piped up. "Just steal Ovelia from the palace. Good old King Delita can keep his fat ass right where it is."
Mustadio and Besrodio both chuckled, though no one else did.
Agrias looked at Ramza. "Would you not agree that there would be no war, if we left Delita unharmed?" she said.
Ramza snorted. "I think Delita would use every resource at his disposal to hunt you to the ends of the earth, if you kidnapped his wife. And, I do not see how you could steal Ovelia away from the palace, if she even wants to be 'stolen'."
"Where there's a will, there's a way!" Balthier said brightly. "And I'll be coming with you, Agrias. Perhaps the rest of these folks are happy to settle down in Ordallia, but I'm certainly not ready to go play house. Going off to help you rescue a princess—ah, queen, actually—sounds more my speed."
Agrias smiled fiercely at Balthier. His dry optimism was just what she needed right now.
"I will come, as well," Wulfhilda said, in her flat voice.
Agrias turned to the red-haired Ninja in shock. "Truly? Why?"
She hardly knew Wulfhilda. The woman barely spoke, and Agrias had never formed any kind of friendship bond with her.
"Wulfhilda, you—" Meliadoul sputtered, "but… Gods, it is not safe! Not for either of you!"
"Oh, come now, Meliadoul, when have we ever worried about safety?" Mustadio quipped.
"What, are you going with her, as well?" Meliadoul demanded.
"No. No, not me. I think I'm happy to go somewhere quiet and play housewife to Ramza, too," Mustadio said.
Agrias laughed a little, at that. She wasn't letting Wulfhilda off the hook, though. "Why would you come with me?" she repeated to the Ninja.
"I do not want to 'play housewife' either," Wulfhilda said. She looked a bit uncomfortable now, to have all of the eyes in the group trained on her. "I signed up to be a soldier. I am not ready to give that up. I just… just, please allow me to come with you, Lady Agrias. And when this mission is finished, I will… reassess what I want to do with myself."
"Of course!" Agrias exclaimed, sliding an errant lock of thick blonde hair back behind her ear. "Of course. I am grateful for any help; I did not think… I… thank you, Wulfhilda."
"We'll come too!" Lavian said, gesturing at herself and Alicia. The two women had been whispering to each other throughout the rest of the conversation, and had apparently just come to this conclusion.
Agrias beamed at them. Lavian knocked her shoulder into Malak's in a familiar way. "Won't you come, too, Mally?" she said.
"Rafa is going to Ordallia," he replied glumly, looking miserable to be faced with his little sister going one place and his girlfriend going another.
"I understand, if you wish to stay with Lavian instead," Rafa said.
Malak shook his head. "Do not be ridiculous. We do not know what dangers yet await us in Ordallia. I could not let you travel there without me, Rafa."
Lavian looked slightly dejected, but did not complain out loud. Agrias guessed that Lavian and Malak might be having a difficult conversation once they were alone tonight.
"Sorry, Agrias, but I'm still going with Ramza," Rad said sheepishly. "I've had enough of risking my neck lately."
"That is fine, Rad. I understand only too well," Agrias said.
And she did. The trials they had been through, over the past few months and culminating in their trip down to literal Hell, had been utterly horrific. She wouldn't have dared to ask any of them to risk their lives again. She would have tried to help Ovelia all by herself, if none of the others had volunteered to come with her.
Their lives had certainly not been easy, as of late. Luso's mind had been nearly shattered, it seemed, by their travels through Hell and their fight with Ajora. The young man had left their company the moment they set foot back on Ivalician soil. Luso's name and face were unknown to the Church, so he could at least still travel safely without being hunted as a heretic.
Rad had taken it hard, that Luso chose to abandon them. Rad and Luso had become very close friends with each other, and Rad had shouted and begged for Luso not to leave.
Luso had not listened. He had seemed to feel that staying with their group could only lead him into more trouble with demons, and he said he couldn't take anymore. The boy had looked like a frazzled mess, jumping and twitching at every little noise, and constantly muttering to himself under his breath.
Luso had taken his share of the group's money and immediately set off alone. And poor Rad seemed more upset to lose his friend than he had about any of the other horrors they had faced. If Rad wanted to go find a stable home in Ordallia now, then Agrias certainly did not blame him.
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That night, Agrias and Balthier requested to take the first watch shift together, so that they could discuss their plans.
They would be parting ways with Ramza in the morning, but she vaguely hoped to see the Beoulve boy again someday soon, after their visit to the royal city. They had made arrangements, in case Agrias's group eventually wanted to re-join Ramza.
Obviously, they did not know exactly where Ramza and the others would end up settling down. But they knew that he planned to live within traveling distance of a certain Ordallian trading port. So, they had arranged that two months from now, Malak would travel to that port and spend a full week at a pre-determined inn nearby. If Agrias and anyone else wished to re-join Ramza, then they had only to show up at that inn during that specific week, and then Malak would lead them to Ramza and the rest.
If they did not meet Malak at the inn, then they would probably never see the others ever again.
It was a sobering thought. Agrias could not imagine it; never again scolding Ramza and Mustadio for their foolishness, never again seeing Rafa's gentle smile or hearing Meliadoul's obnoxious laugh. She would even miss Malak and Rad!
They were all annoying, in their various ways, but she really did love them all, anyway.
And dear Ramza had insisted that she take Construct 8 with her, on her travels. He told her he wanted her to have all the help he could offer, even if he could not come along himself. His face was far too well-known from the heretic hand bills; it would be madness for him to try to enter Lesalia. Plus, he had Alma to take care of now, and it was really best that they get out of the country as quickly as they could.
Sitting there chatting by the campfire, it suddenly struck Agrias that she and Balthier were basically the only real 'adults' left in the group (and nevermind that Meliadoul was nearly the same age as her, the Divine Knight was honestly more immature than fourteen-year-old Rafa, in a lot of ways). It made Agrias feel a pang of loss for Cid, once again. How could they accomplish anything more, without Cid's reassuring presence?
"Hey, do you think Ramza's sister is all right?" Balthier asked, in a very quiet whisper.
Agrias knew what he meant. Alma did not seem all right, really.
They would have understood if the girl had woken up hysterical, or as nervous as Luso had been, after her stay in Hell.
But Alma was simply quiet. She wouldn't volunteer much information about her life as a prisoner with Vormav. She didn't even have a noticeable reaction when she saw that Malak was a part of their group, and Malak had warned them in advance that Alma might panic at the sight of him, since he had been one of her jailers during the time she was imprisoned by Lord Barinten.
Alma had looked over Malak as if he were no more significant than the members of the group she did not know, like Balthier. Even Alma's reaction to reuniting with Ramza had been rather lackluster; she had hugged him, but had honestly not seemed overly excited to see her brother, after all that time apart.
"I am not sure," Agrias admitted. "She will hardly speak a word to me. Ramza says she hardly speaks to him, as well. Mayhap she is still in shock? It would be understandable… I can only imagine what may have happened to her while she was a prisoner, poor girl. And being possessed by Ajora, even if it was only for a minute… I suppose it is no wonder if she is in shock, still."
"Hmm," was all Balthier said in reply.
They lapsed into silence for a while.
Eventually, as he poked at their fire with a stick, Balthier added, "I'm glad you're going after Ovelia, you know. I damn sure wasn't going to settle down somewhere with the kid—" (he still called Ramza a child, whenever he was talking about him) "but I don't want to set out on my own yet, either… I've rather enjoyed these adventures with you. I'm glad we'll have one more together."
He gave her a smile that was surprisingly shy, for him. He looked uncharacteristically sloppy, in the firelight. His brown hair was badly in need of a cut, and though he had attempted to grease it back in his normal style, the hair was far too long and it kept falling down into his face.
Agrias smiled in return. "I hope you know how much I appreciate you, Balthier. Fighting with us all this time, and coming along with me now. I know that I will miss you, when you do leave us."
Balthier's smile turned from shy to sly in an instant. "Hey, you know, it's about time we woke up Rafa and Alicia for second watch." He gestured toward his tent, and raised his eyebrows. "You want to come to my tent, one last time? For old times' sake?"
Agrias chuckled, then bit her lower lip thoughtfully. That might not be the smartest move she ever made… But honestly, they had just literally been to Hell and back. Mayhap they both deserved to have some fun.
She grinned, standing up. "All right. One last time, for old times' sake."
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Author's Note: Hi, everyone! Regarding comments on the last chapter: to warzonecall : I know, even while writing that chapter I was like 'no, not Izlude, nooooooo!' Probably one of the saddest parts of the game, but I wanted to keep things canon until the end of the game, so unfortunately that had to be the end for poor Izlude. We will miss him greatly :( But thank you so much for reviewing and letting me know what you thought, getting feedback really helps me feel inspired to keep writing more in this FFT world!
To Josh1013 : Wow, that makes me feel awesome to hear that you think I nailed Ramza's character, thank you! I totally agree with you that Ramza is the best FF character, I just love him so much... I realized while writing this that it's kind of hard to peg his personality because I think the game creators intentionally left Ramza a little bit of a mystery so that the player could feel like they "are" Ramza, no matter what their personality type. I tried to focus on what little we do know: that he's quick to take action, has a rather can-do attitude most of the time, is willing to listen to everyone's viewpoint, and is extremely agile (which we know from the cutscene where he just casually jumps off a cliff and lands on his feet to rescue Luso, haha). When it came to pairing him with Meliadoul, I decided he probably prefers a partner who is not a total ball-buster but is also not a total damsel in distress. (Came to this conclusion based on the flower-seller scene with Aeris, which basically goes like this: Aeris says: "(eyelash flutter) Oh hello, kind sir! Would you like to buy a flower? Oh, I'm so lonely and so helpless, and I spend all my time dreaming that some handsome knight will come rescue me from this awful place. Some handsome knight just like you, in fact. Just exactly like you, sir! (hint, hint, wink, wink, more eyelash fluttering)" Then Ramza replies: "Uh, yeah, times sure are hard. Okay, bye!" Haha. So, I figured a damsel in distress is probably not what Ramza is after. Tried to create a sort of middle-ground character in Meliadoul. The first time I ever played Tactics, I assumed that Meliadoul was going to become Ramza's girlfriend, because the game was almost over and the main character still didn't have a love interest, and I figured they wouldn't just leave him single. Of course, I turned out to be wrong, but by that point I already solidly thought of Meliadoul as Ramza's girlfriend, and have never quite been able to believe any other Ramza pairing (even though I enjoy reading them, since I enjoy reading all FFT fanfiction, as I love this game very much.) Which fanfic of yours did you put Ramza in? I would like to read it! Anyway, sorry I started rambling there, but thank you again for your kind review!
Also, just in general, I hope these past two chapters haven't made you guys too sad, since we have had two character deaths. No more character deaths from here on out, there are a lot more adventures on the way for these characters, but I'll be keeping it happier from here on out!
