Auron was furious. Beyond furious . . . he had never felt such rage in all his years.
"I demand to see that bastard Seymour!" he roared, storming towards the tent that was set up a short distance away from the path. The two guards at the door flap stood paralysed with fear as the intimidating warrior came nearer and nearer, each unable to move in response.
Just before the livid man could reach the door flap, it was pulled open and Lord Seymour emerged alone, staring at Auron with cold cunning eyes.
"Calm down at once, Sir Auron," he said contemptuously. "I've never seen you in such a state. If you wish to speak with me, at least be certain you can control yourself."
"You and I have things to discuss, Guado," Auron spat, leaning into Seymour's face emphatically. The Guado raised an eyebrow and stepped back into his tent, allowing room for Auron to walk in.
"Gentlemen, you are excused," he said airily to the guards, who hesitated at abandoning their posts. Then they saluted and jogged away, each rather shaken at their encounter with the legendary Auron. The man was not only famed for his imposing presence, but his unmatched skills as a warrior. It was only their fortune that he didn't have his enormous katana with him during his wrath.
"Now, what is it you wish to bring to my attention, Auron?" Seymour asked shortly, dropping the formalities.
"You know damn well what I mean to say," Auron snapped. "You made a promise to Braska! I heard the words from your very mouth, you lying filth! You promised him you'd never choose Yuna for Sin's sacrifice in exchange for you miserable life, nor would you lay a hand on the boy. You already broke your oath to Jecht when you chose his wife for the sacrifice, but now Braska, Spira's saviour? How could you betray the memory of our friend?"
Seymour sighed softly and shook his head, turning away from his old companion to stare into the fire at the centre of the tent.
"Ah, yes, that is unfortunate business, I admit. It pains me to have had to do it, but it was not my will, Auron. Sin told me it wanted her-"
"Bullshit!" Auron cut in, fighting to keep his voice low. "You didn't hear anything of the sort. Sin never speaks to you; you're the one who's in control! You feed it as if it were a helpless animal."
"Are you questioning my honour? I could have you killed here and now, you know," the Maester said carelessly. Auron moved swiftly across the tent and stood eye-to-eye with Seymour, so close that his nose almost touched the Guado's.
"Don't you dare make idle threats, Guado, and don't speak to me of honour. I can kill you here and now with my bare hands for what you did, if only Braska hadn't already stopped me." He paused and smirked grimly at the confused look in Seymour's eyes. "Oh yes, he knew what you were planning. He made Jecht and me vow not to harm you though. Braska, he was such a softhearted fool, great as he was; he said that in time you would meet retribution for your treachery. He couldn't bear the thought of his two childhood friends at your throat, even though he knew you meant to deceive us all. But if it weren't for his friendship Jecht and I would have ripped you apart the moment we saw you in that temple. I should have destroyed you when you murdered Jecht, but unlike you, I keep my promises. Never forget that, Seymour."
"Jecht got in my way," the Guado said darkly. "I had no choice. He was going to expose the temple to the rest of Spira. I had to stop him."
"If there was any decency left in you, you'd have turned yourself in to the authorities and confessed long ago," Auron said contemptuously. "Jecht was doing the right thing."
"Jecht was out of his mind with grief for his wife," Seymour replied impatiently. "He would have attacked Sin with his fists if I wasn't there to put him out of his misery."
"You certainly haven't changed," the warrior said disgustedly. "You're still the same scheming little maggot you were as a child. You owed the three of us for taking you in the way we did."
"What is it you want, Auron?" Seymour asked in a bored tone, wrinkling his nose at the warrior's breath in his nostrils. "Do you want to simply rave at me or did you come here for a purpose?"
"Call off the search for Yuna and Tidus. I won't stop your sick little game, despicable as I find it, and I won't wring your neck. But stay away from the kids, if you have any soul left to honour our friends." Auron said in a dangerous tone.
"It is not that simple, my dear old friend," Seymour said in a mockingly tragic voice, turning away from Auron. "I am merely a tool for Sin's use. I must do as it commands, for the good of all Spira. If it wants Yuna, then I have no choice but to deliver her to it. And I am only planning to kill the boy if he gets in my way of capturing Yuna. It is only a miracle that Sin has permitted me to postpone the date of sacrifice, allowing me time to find her-"
He felt a rough hand on his shoulder spinning him around in mid sentence, and then he felt Auron's vice-like grip around his throat. He could see the blinding fury in the man's unscarred eye behind the tinted sunglasses.
"Choose someone else. You have that power, I know you do. I don't care who you choose, but make it someone else," he hissed. Seymour's eyes were wide with alarm.
"Guards," he choked. "Guards!"
"Are you scared, Guado?" Auron taunted, allowing himself to be pulled away by four young men. "Have you seen enough of my rage? I'll come back for you if you don't do as I've ordered, Seymour, I swear on Braska and Jecht's life I'll come back!"
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With the red tag around his neck, Tidus felt relatively safe, but his eyes kept darting warily to the passing soldiers and priests. He knew how lucky they had been to come to Wakka's watch post. Had it been anyone else, the two of them would have been caught for sure. He did not want to think about what could have happened then.
It felt strange being surrounded by the very people who were after them, yet being so secure in their midst. He felt more reassured with the weight of his sword on his back under the cloak, but every now and then he found himself jumping nervously at any unfamiliar sound. Still, it was a relief to see people step away from them courteously whenever he flashed them the red tag. He loathed the feel of animal grease and soil rubbed onto his skin, but the gruesome effect it had on his appearance was exactly what he had been hoping for.
"We're almost through," Yuna murmured to him. He nodded and gripped the reins tightly from around her waist. He could see the end of the encampment just ahead, and beyond it the safe haven of tall green trees.
Just then a loud commotion erupted behind them, startling the horse. Tidus threw a look over his shoulder, as did Yuna, to see what was going on. His eyes widened.
A small group of terrified guards were desperately trying to heave a tall scarlet-garbed man out of a military high-ranked tent not far behind them. He couldn't believe what he was seeing.
"Sir Auron," he breathed. What was that fabled man doing here of all places? Most people said that Auron kept to himself mostly in Zanarkand ever since the so-called defeat of Sin . . . what on Spira could possibly drag him here? It was amazing and almost heart breaking to see a man of such revered stoicism being forcefully dragged away while shouting somewhat maniacally.
"Remember your promises to Braska and Jecht, Seymour!" Auron yelled, as if oblivious to the four men wrestling with him. "Remember your promises! I'll be seeing you again soon if you hurt those kids!"
Tidus only dimly felt Yuna stiffen against him, for he too was lost in Auron's words.
"Sir Auron knew our fathers?" Yuna whispered with amazement. "How? When? What promise is he talking about?"
"We have to talk to him," Tidus murmured back, feeling his heart pounding wildly. He had no idea that his father Jecht was somehow connected to Sir Auron, and possibly Lord Braska. Would this explain all of Jecht's prolonged absences during Tidus' childhood?
Perhaps Auron would know where Jecht was. Tidus had heard not a single word from his father the night his mother had been chosen for the ceremony in Zanarkand. Most people believed he killed himself, mad with grief for the fate of his wife in spite of its glory. In the morning, he was nowhere to be seen, and thirteen year old Tidus had been shipped off to Besaid to live with Wakka's family.
"Hey, you two," a gruff voice said at their side. Tidus and Yuna turned their attention to a short and rough-looking soldier standing near the edge of the encampment. Tidus swallowed discreetly and gestured to his red tag, while Yuna turned her face away from him. The soldier rolled his eyes.
"I ain't gonna get you to talk," he said impatiently. "I'm just tellin' ye to hurry up. You're blocking the path. Keep it movin', will ya?"
The Yevonite Warrior breathed a sigh of relief and nodded once, urging the mare forward. Yuna turned around in the saddle once again, eager to catch a glimpse of Sir Auron over Tidus' shoulder. She was too excited to bother hiding her distinctive eyes. Tidus too looked behind for one more sight of the legendary warrior.
Auron, who was still struggling to free himself from the guards, suddenly turned his face in their direction and his eyes fell to Yuna. His expression changed dramatically to one of shock, the startled recognition racing through his mind. But he did not say anything. Instead he merely relaxed in the grip of his captors, letting them lead him away. His gaze never left Yuna, who was staring back in surprise. Tidus could feel her heart pounding close to him.
"He'll find us, don't worry," Tidus whispered to her.
Yuna waited breathlessly as he guided the horse into the trees. They kept moving silently for a short while, drawing themselves a safe distance away from the camp.
At last Tidus drew to a halt and dismounted, leading the horse with Yuna away from the narrow path. He tied the mare's reins to a tree branch as Yuna descended from the saddle.
"I hear running water somewhere around here," Tidus said to her. "We'll clean ourselves off, and then he'll come to us. I know he will. He's seen your face, or your eyes, or something. Somehow he recognizes you."
She merely nodded and followed close behind as he made his way through the thick foliage. They came to the small creek shortly, and Tidus wasted no time casting off his cloak. All he needed to do was clean off his upper body to be rid of the grease and mud, but a brief swim would be most welcome to cool off the afternoon heat. He did not feel Yuna's eyes on his back as he plunged carelessly into the waist-deep water, drenching himself from head to toe.
He heard her slip into the water behind him quietly, and he glanced back at her over his shoulder. The tan brown dress she wore already clung to her figure beautifully, but now through the wet material he could vaguely see the more intimate details of her body. She had submerged herself and then rose up again, and now her clean flesh was jewelled with beads of water. Her wet hair clung to her face and neck in an oddly seductive way. He swallowed and looked away quickly, busying himself by scrubbing at his arms and face. The memory of his fingers brushing against her smooth skin as he changed her blood-soaked dress was maddening.
"We must speak with Sir Auron," Yuna said to Tidus' back. "I have to see what he knows of our fathers, and of Sin. Perhaps he can help us, tell us everything he knows about the conspiracy. We can both get answers, then," she added, softening her tone. He turned and regarded her with a quick nod.
The sunlight reflected off the water and danced on her face, making her eyes and the water droplets on her face and neck shimmer. Tidus tried to smile back, warmed by her compassion.
"Yuna . . ."
They both turned to the creek bank, where the man in question stood staring down at her with disbelief. Even the long scar through his right eye could not disguise the man's wonder.
Yuna immediately moved away from Tidus and scrambled up onto the bank, facing Sir Auron with a look of awe on her face. She did not flinch or shy away when Auron's hands came up to cup her face on either side. Tidus, although not knowing why, was relieved to note that Auron's remaining eye did not once flicker downward from Yuna's face. Her dress was still soaked through.
"I never would have thought to find you so quickly . . . I was worried that you had slipped out of my reach . . . but I saw your eyes, and there was no mistaking it," he said quietly, unable to tear his gaze away from her. Yuna swallowed at his words. Auron seemed to have then regained his composure, for he dropped his hands and took a respectful step away from her.
"I doubt you would remember," he said, speaking normally, "but I used to watch over you when you were very small, no older than two years old. Braska would leave you in my care whenever he was in the temple, until Kimahri Ronso came to look after you while we went on the pilgrimage."
"I thought I recognized your face," Yuna whispered, her bicoloured eyes sparkling with tears. "I always felt as if I knew you from somewhere, other than from the stories. Your voice is so familiar from long ago, even before Kimahri . . . but I had no idea my father had two guardians."
"Three, actually," Auron said, turning his attention to Tidus, who had only then emerged from the water and stood uncomfortably on the side. "Jecht was another of Braska's guardians."
Tidus could only stare, stupefied by Auron's words. So that explained all of Jecht's disappearances, up until the night his wife was chosen for the ceremony.
"I never knew . . ." he whispered, staring off in the distance as if looking back to his childhood. He gave a start and turned back to Auron.
"Wait a minute . . . of course! Ten years ago, he disappeared for a whole year. He was with you and Lord Braska on the pilgrimage, wasn't he?" he asked, amazed that he had never pieced it together before.
"Correct," Auron said with a nod. He then paused and stared at Tidus closely with his remaining eye. He gave a small shake of his head and smiled thinly. "It's remarkable. You look so much like your mother, there's no fooling anyone who knew her."
Tidus was sobered at the man's words, and looked down at his feet. He could feel Yuna gazing at him sympathetically.
"Why didn't my father ever tell me about you and Lord Braska? About the pilgrimage?" he asked, lifting his head up to address Auron.
"He had his reasons, I suppose," the warrior said with a shrug. "Maybe he wanted to suppress the memories himself. We had a hard time on that journey . . . it was tough on Jecht, losing Braska. The three of us had been best friends, you know."
"And . . . and what of Seymour Guado?" Yuna asked hesitantly. "He was with you as well, was he not?"
Auron's face hardened instantly at the mention of the Maester's name.
"Oh yes, he was there too. Braska wanted him with us. Jecht and I didn't trust him, even when we were kids. He was always the skinny little Guado nobody wanted to be seen with, always glaring at people and sitting alone. Braska felt bad for him, I guess. He invited Seymour into our midst, tried to make him feel like one of us. But when he asked to be Braska's guardian, Braska didn't turn him away. After all, Seymour was the only person who knew the temple's location. He was a weak warrior from the beginning, all the way until the end," Auron said grimly. "His magic level was pathetic. He was never strong enough to really master it."
"Auron," Yuna said quietly, taking the warrior's hand. "I know of the whole conspiracy. I know that Seymour is in league with Sin, and is responsible for sacrificing eight other mages after my father. He's tried to capture me, but Tidus and I escaped from Besaid to go to the temple ourselves. I'm going to try and find a way to stop Sin once and for all. I have to. And I want you . . . to tell Tidus and myself everything you can about what happened in the temple of Bevelle."
Tidus stared at Yuna closely as she spoke, noting the spark of stubborn determination burning in her jewel-like eyes, the way her fists clenched at her sides.
Auron appeared more than a little bit taken aback at her words, but as she continued, his face became dark and bitter.
"I will tell you what I can. There is not much time left."