Tales of a Journey
By: Rogue White Dragon (a.k.a Dragoness)
Disclaimer: I don't own TOS
Chapter 9 – Explanations
I woke up with a splitting head ache. Felt kind of like some one was taking a large, thick, tree branch, and was repeatedly hitting me in the head. Blinking a few times at the ceiling, I sat up with a wince. Glancing around the room, I realized I was in my bedroom. How'd I get here?
"Lloyd, you awake!"
Colette was sitting beside me so fast that all I saw was a blur of blonde hair.
"Yeah?"
She smiled at me, and said
"Everyone else is downstairs. They said you passed out."
"Passed out? Some master swordsman you are, Lloyd."
Genis was standing in the door way, grinning at me. I glared at him, about to tell him to shut up, when Zelos came up behind Genis, and said
"You ok, buddy? You hit your head pretty hard."
Zelos looked about ready to laugh
"You hit the corner of Yuan's desk when you fell."
Yuan's desk? Thinking about that, I realized I had been standing a little close to it. I reached a hand up and felt the large bump on my forehead.
"Maybe it was just from lack of sleep. He was keeping watch most of the time while we slept."
Lan was standing beside Zelos, voicing his comment in a way that sounded like he was making an excuse for me. I stared at him before nodding my head
"That's must've been it."
Lan was my son. How could I not have seen it before?
"Hey, Lloyd, Kratos is downstairs. Since you're awake, why don't' we all start dinner?"
Colette asked, taking one of my hands in hers, she watched me curiously, before grinning
"Mattrim is down there with your father right now. You should see the two."
She just about giggled. I was a little concerned about that. Not that I was worried about my dad meeting my son, but Matt could be a little too, energetic, sometimes.
"What's for dinner?"
I asked, glancing at the group that now stood in my bedroom doorway. Raine and Presea had joined and I began to wonder where Sheena and Regal were.
"You'll see. Regal's making a little desert that he's putting together right now."
Downstairs, I found Sheena and Regal in the kitchen, arguing about how spicy the curie should be. Colette pulled me by the hand towards the dinning room, where the table had been set up against one wall, and enough chairs for everyone were pulled together in a circle.
"Hey, how'd we get here?"
I asked, blinking at my companions. Raine gave a shrug, and replied
"When you passed out, we thought it would be better if we came back here. We simply put you in a reihard, and flew here. Kratos came along to explain what's going on."
Kratos looked up from where he was sitting, with Mattrim sitting in front of him, and said
"I can explain while we eat."
I gave him a nod, and then asked
"Dad, how'd you get here?"
Kratos gave a tiny smile, and replied simply
"I asked Origin, and he brought me back."
(A/N: grimace I'm hoping that's possible. I was thinking of a way to bring Kratos into the fic, so…I hope that works)
"Dinners ready!"
Sheena called from the kitchen.
Once we were all seated, we ate in silence for a little while, before Kratos finally spoke up.
"Arkus is the human son of the former Pope."
I stopped eating, and stared at him
"Is he the one behind Mizuho's attack?"
Lan demanded, a frown on his face
"Yes. He was also a former informant for Mithos. He kept us informed of what was going on in Meltokio."
Zelos raised an eyebrow
"I thought that was my job."
Sheena elbowed Zelos in the stomach lightly, and whispered something to him. He grinned, and waited for a reply
"Mithos didn't exactly trust humans. Mithos promised him all of Tetha'alla if he did as instructed. He worked with his father to try and stop you. He failed, but believes it's because his father was incompetence. Arkus thinks that Tetha'alla is his by right. He has his father's ambitions, and wants to be king."
"So why did they want the summon spirits?"
Lan asked curiously
"Because Arkus now wants all of Symphonia. He picked up some of the plans for the Mana Cannon, and thinks he can recreate it by using all of the summon spirits. Also, he believes that without the summon spirits, no one will be able to oppose him."
This was all a little hard to digest. I still had a massive head ache. Touching my forehead again, I glanced at my father, and asked
"Who was that guy you traded for our safety?"
Kratos frowned slightly at this point, and gave a shrug of his shoulders
"He's Arkus's son. His name is Arthur."
Well, that explains why Arkus had seemed so angry when he saw the young man at knife point.
"So let me get this straight,"
Raine began, recounting everything Kratos had said
"Arkus wants to rule over Symphonia. He has a son, and thinks that he can take over the world with the Summoning Spirits?"
Put that way, Arkus sounded just a little insane.
"Not exactly."
Kratos said with a shake of his head
"He wants the summoning spirits for their power. With enough power, he thinks can force more people to follow him, and eventually take over Symphonia."
"More people?"
Genis asked, raising an eyebrow. Kratos gave a grave nod, and replied
"He's abducted the elves' Elder's daughter. He's forcing them to work for him. He's also got Mizuho now. He's making all the able-bodied men work for him, by threatening their families."
He glanced a Sheena, as if to say 'Like he tried with you'. I glared at the wall behind Kratos. What kind of –
"Is there anything else?"
Presea asked, looking directly at Kratos as she spoke. He shrugged again, and replied
"That's all the information we have right now. Yuan believes he's working on something, but he doesn't know the details yet."
Great. This started out as a simple journey to save Sheena, and now it looks like we have to save the world. Again.
After dinner, Kratos said he had to return to the Renegades. He left, and the house was strangely quiet. Colette was getting blankets and mats for the living room for Genis, Regal, and Zelos to sleep on. She was setting up the spare bedroom Presea, Sheena, and Raine, because they were the only other women there. With a glance in my direction, Colette suggested that Lan sleep in Mattrim's room. She could borrow a cot from the neighbors, and then all the sleeping arrangements would be solved. Sheena and Zelos said they'd go and ask. I assumed they wanted some 'alone' time. They had to choose a different day for their wedding, after all.
"Lloyd, can I talk with you?"
Colette asked, standing half way up the stairs. I got up from the couch, where I had been talking with Genis and Regal. Well, trying to talk. The two were talking about cooking. I just couldn't understand their fascination.
"Uh, sure."
I walked upstairs with Colette, and she led the way to our bedroom. She sat down on the bed, and looked up at me with a little bit of uncertainty on her face.
"Did you talk with Sheena?"
She asked. Well, we did talk, but not exactly in a very clear way. I gave a shrug, and replied
"Yes."
She nodded slowly, and folded her hands in her lap. She looked down, looking a little sad
"Colette,"
I began as I walked over and sat beside her. I put my arm around her shoulders, and said
"it doesn't change a thing. You and Mattrim are still my family. Sheena and I aren't going to tell him. She's just starting off with Zelos."
Colette gave a weak smile, and replied
"I know, but…"
"Colette,"
I said sternly, staring at her directly
"I love you, you know that, right?"
She smiled, and replied
"Yeah. I love you too."
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(Sheena and Zelos)
After getting the cot for Lan's bed, Sheena and Zelos went onto the front porch, and sat down. They remained silent for a couple minutes, before Sheena said
"Zelos, should I tell Lan?"
Zelos smiled at her, and looked up at the night sky
"Maybe you should let Lloyd figure it out, first."
That wasn't exactly what Sheena had been hoping he'd say. Zelos caught her slight distress, and put one arm around her waist, while saying
"I think maybe Lloyd needs to come to terms with it first. I mean, finding out he's got another son is kind of a big surprise. Let him think about what needs to be done."
Sheena relaxed a little, and replied
"I spoke with Colette, before he woke up. She seemed a little uneasy with Lan and I there."
Zelos shrugged, and replied
"Well, you have to understand it from her point of view. She's with Lloyd now, but you were his first love. That can't be that easily forgotten."
Zelos paused for a moment, wondering if Sheena had any feelings for Lloyd still. Seems the two former chosen have a little bit in common now. Sheena pinched him in the arm, and said
"What's in the past is in the past. We've both started different lives. I think it's good this way. I just don't want Lan to never know who his father is."
"What are you talking about, mom?"
Lan was standing behind the pair, a confused look on his face. Sheena froze, giving Zelos a look pleading for help. Lan frowned at the two, and said
"You were talking about my dad."
Lan accused. Zelos spoke up before Sheena could
"She's just saying that, er, she hopes I can be a good replacement for your real father."
Lan glared at Zelos, and said icily
"Maybe I'd have something to compare you to, if I knew who my father was."
Sheena tensed. They had argued about this many times before. He didn't see why she wouldn't tell him. She was slightly afraid she'd loose her son if he found out. Raine chose that time to walk up behind Lan, ready to lecture the boy
"Lan, you can't just eavesdrop on people like that! Show some respect. How would you like it if we were listening to everything you said to someone when you thought you were alone? I hope you think about what you've done."
Raine looked like she was ready to hit the youth with her staff. He smartly retreated back into the house. Sheena gave a grateful smile to Raine, and glanced at Zelos.
"I think I'm going to go to bed. 'Night, Zelos."
She kissed his cheek, and followed Raine inside. Zelos remained on the porch, staring up at the sky. He stayed there for a while, before sighing, and joining the others inside.
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O.o did you like it? I hope the whole thing about Arkus made some sense. Well, please review!
Thanks to reviewers: Hemi-Rose, Fan Fan Girl, Sieg15, and JKaitz. I'm so glad you guys enjoyed it. I was really worried I'd start getting flamers with the whole 'Lloyd fainting' thing. sighs with relief thanks for the reviews, they were great!