News spread fast. Ramirez was dead. Not only that, but it was his own son who had conspired to kill him. The young Emperor had grown tired of his father's influence, and so had commanded his loyal General Marco, to assassinate him. This news flashed across the World on far swifter wings than the ones which had told of the missing Princess. Wide spread disgust for the Emperor followed the information. Outrage and fury that they had been taken in by his façade.
Although, it was said that as Ramirez died, his Lady, Aika, awoke. As Marco turned his blade on her, however, a soldier who had overheard the commotion, had rushed to her aid. Over powering the General, and rescuing the much adored High Lady. It was fate, some said, as the name of the mysterious saviour was, Vyse.
It was only two days before the news reached the ears of the Emperor himself.
Sailors Island
Xin had come to shore for supplies, with him was Jace, and several other of his ranking officers. All here knew who they were, and what they did, but they said nothing. The Bar had quieted quickly when they stepped inside. The Land Lady, Anne, who had taken on the job of running the Inn after her mother swiftly brought them tankards. Her own daughter scrubbed away timidly at the bar top, her large eyes watching them curiously.
Xin glared at her until she looked down in fright, before smirking to himself, and taking a gulp. His son had taken the news surprisingly well. The boy had sat in stunned silence, before standing and asking if he could see Fina. No other words had been spoken between father and son since. There was a large number of armada ships around, and they had had to stay at an exceedingly high altitude, and use all their evasive knowledge to avoid detection thus far. A small boat with him and his scouting party had docked at Sailors Island, leaving the ship to tack on the wind and meet them in three hours. Now, with one hour left, they had some time to relax.
"I can't believe it.. the Emperor.. How could he do that?"
"I don't know, Ramirez started out as something bad, but his Lady sure put him right. I never thought their own son would do this…"
Xin turned when he heard this. Two sailors sat at the table beside them, talking in hushed tones, but in the quiet Inn he had heard them easily. When they saw his eyes on them they silenced and looked into their ale.
"What are you talking of?" He asked them, command in his voice.
"The Emperor sir…" One spoke up, "Had his father killed. The General Marco did it. The High Lady announced it yesterday, said she was saved by a man named Vyse… sent by the Moon the'selves, she said."
"Ramirez is dead?" he breathed. The Captain's mind went instantly to Fina, but did not linger on her long, instead it went to the Emperor. He had last seen the man in Nasr, and he did not have the look of a man who was intent on murdering his father.
Jace leaned close to him.
"Something ain't right about it Cap'n." he hissed, "The Emperor taint that kinda man."
"Aye," he replied, "Twas what I was thinking." Xin turned back to the men. "What's being done about it then?" He asked.
"Well, the High Lady has the General in Stocks, is said she's gonna have him executed tomorrow, along with 'Is wife and son… As for her own son.. she's given out orders for him to be attacked on sight. Says she will spare him no quarter for the murder of her 'Usband." He patted a blade at his side.
Xin turned away from him and growled. There was definitely something wrong…
"Its time to go." He muttered. The pirates stood, and prepared to leave, as they did the man who had spoken called out after them.
"Dun forget mates, if you see that Scoundrel of an Emperor… draw your blades and run him through!"
He became aware of himself. He also became aware of the fact that his soul was no longer restricted by the confines of his body. He seemed to shift inconsistently, as if a strong breeze would simply erase him from existence. He knew he was dead. He remembered it clearly. He remembered the agony of the plates piercing his flesh, but that pain seemed to pale in comparison to the knowledge.. that he would never see her again. He held a small amount of joy to his heart, fiercely, lest it drift away, that the last thing his eyes had seen.. was the image of her.. perfect.. beautiful...
He did not care about Vyse.. he was irrelevant. he knew the man would be free to take his throne, but he did not care about the Empire anymore. He merely felt sorrow, that he had so drastically let down Aika... and his children. he had been so foolish, so weak. Aika would have berated him for it, with the fiery lash that was her tongue. To see him wasted at her side, a pathetic dog, lost without its master. He had been unable to help her, yet he had not left her. She would have told him, that he should have been out, scouring the skies for their daughter.
His beautiful daughter, he would never see her again, never see her marry, and become a mother herself. he regretted the last encounter he had had with her, they had parted on bad terms, and it was him, who had driven her away. and his son. His strong, and handsome son. How proud he had made him, everyday. To see the boy grow to a man, and take on the Empire with a good and steady rule. What would become of him? He would return home to Soltis, to find Vyse waiting for him, to find a mother who, for the second time, would have no idea who he was.
It was all due to him. he remembered when he had served under Galcian, how he had believed that power, and domination, was the greatest achievement that a man could accomplish with his life. Zelos had been the ultimate goal. The war that it caused had killed so many, unnecessarily. So many had died on his blade, but there had been one he had spared. His Little One. He had not known it at the time, but that day, the day the war ended, it was not Zelos which was his greatest prize, but her. It was her that had always pushed him in every way, confounded his emotions, and who, in the end, had him defeated, and entwined in her will.
Despite the fact that it had always been about Zelos and the great power the gigas held, he would gladly see the creature destroyed, just to be able to spend one moment in the company of his family, to see them safe, and untroubled, to see them happy, as they had been. As these thoughts raced through his consciousness, he felt his spirit condense, and become something of substance. His heart swelled with warmth and a love for his family he had never been able to speak of, and it drew him back into himself, until he knew that his spirit once again, resembled the body he had had in life. There was a dull ache in his chest, a remnant from the wound that had ceased his existence.
"Ramirez.." he knew that voice, and he knew it well. it had been so long since he had last heard it.
A cool hand laid itself on his forehead, and gently brushed away strands of his hair.
"Open your eyes, my dear friend, it has been too long."
He did as the soft voice bid him. Knowing who would be before him when he did. But still, he was not prepared for the emotions that surfaced, at seeing her.
"Fina..." he breathed.
The blonde haired woman smiled, a smile he had not seen in so many years. She was beautiful, and glowed with a pure radiance. She wrapped her arms around him, and he did not stop her. A terrible guilt welled within him. he would never have imagined such emotions were possible for him. It became so intense, so unbearable, and he felt the ghost of tears on his cheeks.
"What is happening to me?" He breathed.
She laughed softly and leaned away from him.
"Ramirez, you have much to learn about being dead." She said, "All of your emotions will seem that much stronger here. Away from your body, they are far less easy to control, for a while.. they will seem amplified, but.. you will become accustomed to it in time, my dear."
"But.. I killed you Fina. In cold blood, when you lay helpless. You who grew up beside me... It was a monstrous thing to do." he whispered, staring at his hands.
"Ramirez, I forgave you, even before the blade took my life."
"You smiled. At the end.. when I was about to kill you.. you smiled at me." he shook his head, the desperate sadness and guilt stifling him.
"That's right, I did." She said quietly. "But Ramirez, there are far more important things for me to talk to you of." She waited until he looked at her again. "It is not usual, for Spirits to speak to each other in the afterlife. I never spoke to Vyse as I am to you now. He never sought me out, and I chose to merely watch him from afar."
"But I did not seek you out either." he said.
"You did Ramirez. You think this guilt you feel came about now? It started that day on the decks of the Delphinus. You have been seeking me for years, my dear. Vyse.. he did not. he was too consumed with sorrow, anger, love, and revenge." Her soul drifted around him, and emanated a distinct feeling of sorrow. "I watched my friend turn from a good man, into a twisted thing, part of him still desperately in love with Aika, the pure and wholesome part that was still Vyse, part of him taken over by jealously and hatred. he watched you two closely, as did I, and when he saw you happy together, he viewed this as betrayal on her part. It became a war between the good and evil in his soul. The night Aika came to you, and he saw her offer herself to you willingly. Rage engulfed him, and the good and evil tore apart. The evil creature stayed in this world, pain and hatred was its only thoughts... but the good.. the good part of Vyse fled to a new home. It hid in the developing soul of a child who was conceived that night, and helped to make that child into the man he is today. Your son."
Ramirez looked at her.
"What? My son.. he is not.. is.. not."
"Your son is entirely his own person Ramirez. What was left of Vyse yearned to be close to Aika, and found a home in the boy you sent into her womb. Your son's goodness, passion and purity was enhanced by the man you killed. Why do you think he felt such a connection with Vyse's old cutlasses. It was like a force beyond his control drew him to them. His skill with them is not something he necessarily learned.. but more.. remembered. He has none of Vyse's memories, or loyalties, he is your Son Ramirez, and nothing changes that."
"What about my daughter.. does she have some of you present in her as well?" he asked, only a small amount of anger in his voice.
Fina smiled softly.
"No, she does not. Her little soul is all together too strong for anyone to dream of influencing it. She is such a beautiful child Ramirez, and I have watched her fondly all her life. I must thank you, for the honour of giving her my name. But Ramirez, you must understand that she is too powerful for you to keep her on a leash. She has much of her mother in her."
Ramirez shook his head, his soul drifted into an unrecognisable shape. Despair swelled in the man.
"What am I to do Fina? I will never see them again, and I am helpless to prevent their deaths." He breathed.
"You are only partly correct. You cannot prevent their deaths, however, your love for them will allow you to see them, as I have seen you and Aika, all these years."
"How do I do this?" He breathed.
She began to fade and drift away, her light chuckle reached her.
"Why just, open your eyes, and look for them Ramirez…"
Then she was gone.
"Fina!?" He called, but his voice echoed in the nothingness.
Ramirez drifted again, how he longed to see them. He closed his eyes against the void and felt anguish build within him.
"Aika.. " he whispered. "Aika….."
An image began to form, foggily before him. There she stood. Her hair like fire, spiralling down her back. He moved closed and tried to reach out and touch her, but he found himself unable to. Then another figure stepped into the picture, and he felt himself go cold with anger. Vyse… The man was now whole, his cheeks healthy his eyes alive. The brown eyes of his enemy turned, and for a moment.. seemed to lock with his own. A cruel smirk covered his face, and he slid an arm around her waist.
"Vyse…" She muttered. It was so good to hear her voice, yet, it was not his name she spoke, but he did not care. "Why must we kill them?" She gestured at three people, and Ramirez looked at them for the first time. Marco was chained by his wrists to a wall, lash marks covered his shoulders. He glared at them from under his mop of red hair, his eyes confused and angry.
"Vyse.." he breathed harshly, "By whatever devilry you live… it has changed you… why are you doing this to Aika?!" He snarled.
Aika shook her head in confusion.
"Vyse.. this isn't right… he knows you somehow. What is going on?!"
Along side him hung Tatina, the woman from Ixa Ness, and a close friend of Aika, she looked at her desperately.
"Little Atai… you must remember. Marco did nothing, and we all love you dearly.. come back to us my friend!!"
With a snarl Vyse turned Aika away from them.
"We kill them because they were in league with the Evil King. They will do nothing but spread malice if they live!" he said. "Trust me Aika, you love me, no one else."
Aika nodded and wrapped her arms around him.
"Yes Vyse.. if you say so… then it must be true."
"Think of my son Vyse! My son is innocent!!" Howled the General, his powerful shoulders straining uselessly against his bonds…
The vision faded, and as Ramirez found him once again in the void he cried out in pain. Pain for her, pain for Marco and his family. Aika had no idea what she was doing. He desperately wanted her to see him, he wanted her to know of their past. He would find a way to end Vyse's life somehow.
"Fina…" he sobbed, "My daughter.. where are you?"
He closed his eyes again, shutting off the void, and opening the path to the world of the living, and sought out his second born. He had to see her, he had to know how she fared…
"Fina…." It was not Ramirez who spoke the name.
He saw a boy, dark haired, strong arms wrapped around the slender shoulders of a girl. The pair sat on a small cot, in a tiny cabin. Ramirez found himself confused, for the girl who had her head buried in his shoulder had short black hair. It had not worked… he was looking at the wrong child. But then she shifted and looked up. Her pale eyes were flecked with emerald, set into a face Ramirez knew well. He looked down for the first time in many days upon his daughter. What had happened to her? Why was her hair shorn, and why did she now lie in the arms of a man, he had never before seen? He growled to himself, he had failed to keep his daughter protected.
"I love you Farran." She whispered.
The boy looked shocked, and blinked. Ramirez felt his own soul resonate in surprise.
"But.. you can't.. I… I. I'm just.. the town Guard at Maramba. Your Princess of Soltis." He replied.
"No, your more than that." She whispered. "You think I care about the class of your birth? Besides, if what Xin said was true… you're the son of Celeste…And she is very powerful in the Dark Kingdom. She's a Queen, and you know what that means… Princesses are meant to fall in love with Princes."
He smiled softly at her, and ran a rough hand through her stubbly hair.
"I don't know if I believe what Xin said." He murmured against her temple. "It all seems so.. strange…"
She chuckled in reply.
"Strange… yes that just about sums you up Farran." He pulled a face at her and she smiled up at him. "I guess I must be strange too for loving you."
"You … really do then?" he asked her.
She nodded and leaned against him again, contentment written across her face.
Ramirez mulled over what he had seen as the vision faded. So his daughter did not know of his death yet, and she had fallen in love. More importantly, with the son of a woman who had once tried to kill him. Her surroundings had given no indication of where she was, clearly she was on a ship somewhere. He did not approve of her sleeping in the same room as the boy, distrust for his mother instantly urged him to distrust the son, he also did not want his daughter to lose her innocence so easily, to someone he had not even passed judgement upon yet.
He forced her predicament from his mind. She was clearly at peace, at this moment, and decided to seek out his son. What he saw, made him cold, and fresh fuel was added to the burning fires of hatred he held for the foul Blue Rogue, Vyse.
Sailors Island
Xin stepped out of the Inn, and his heart lurched. Walking through the gates with the Marshal Of Nasrad, was the very man, the people of this Island had sworn to attack. They had but a few lightly armed men with them, and the pair were talking with each other. The street fell silent as the inhabitants of the Island saw their ruler.
One of the guards came forward.
"The Emperor of Arcadia blesses you with his presence! Make him welcome!" He shouted.
Beside Xin, Jace winced, and his hand lowered to his blade.
"Cap'n…" He hissed, as murmurs of unrest and anger broke out. "Trouble afoot."
"Murderer!!" A woman's voice shouted. The flood gates open. Around the small group, weapons appeared, and voices raised in anger.
"Killed your own father!"
"Evil creature!!"
"Kill the Emperor!!"
"Avenge the High Lord!"
The young Emperor looked around, bewilderment written on his handsome face. The guards swiftly surrounded the pair, and drew their weapons, trying to appeal to the mob.
"Lay down your arms, you have no reason to attack the Emperor!!"
Xin nodded.
"That is not the look of a man who is guilty." He muttered. He signalled to his men, and they stepped forward.
Vyse stepped back, and glanced at Galcian.
"They.. they are shouting that I .. killed my father.." He breathed, his face looked pale. "What is going on?!"
"I have no idea my friend." Replied the Marshal, drawing a double edged blade, preparing to defend his Emperor to the death.
"Wait, I don't want these people harmed. They are just townsfolk." Vyse muttered, placing a restraining hand on his friend's arm.
"No offence, Emperor." Said a cold voice, "But right now is not the time for mercy, three of your men have already fallen, two remain."
Vyse turned, and his eyes were met with an icy blue pair. The tall man was elegant but powerful, and something about him made a shiver run down the young man's spine. He cast his lavender eyes back, and sure enough the enraged mob had cut down his soldiers. He felt himself shoved aside, as the tall man, and the band of vicious looking men with him stepped forward, cutlasses drawn.
On seeing them, the crowd paused.
"If you wish to die, continue to fight." Xin muttered coldly. "The Emperor is mine. I advise you re-think your actions and look back over his past, would a man who has rules well so far, and shown devotion to his father, murder him in cold blood?" He breathed. A hush descended, as the people looked nervously at each other.
"But the High Lady made an announcement saying.."
"The Lady has been ill abed for a week!" Snapped the Captain. "Now return to your ale and loqua, and think of your loyalties!!"
With that the tall man turned back to the four men who still stood, the Emperor, the Marshall, and two guards. He pointed a long finger.
"Bring them." He commanded.
Galcian stepped forward.
"By the Moons! Who do you think you are?! We will go no where with you! Address your Lord on a bended knee."
Xin chuckled and moved closer.
"Ahh, Lord Marshall, I shall tell you who I am. Although it may shock you to know… I am a slaver, captain of the Dread Ship, my name, is Xin."
"The Dread Ship?!" Breathed Vyse. "Where is my sister you piece of scum!! I shall see you rot for taking her!!" the Emperor surged forward, his hand going to his belt, gripping the twin cutlasses.
He was held back by several strong hands, as the crew deftly surrounded them, and roughly relieved them of their weaponry. The blonde haired man struggled furiously, but was overcome. Even then, the young man fought against them, anger burning in his gaze.
"So, you know I have her." Muttered Xin. "No matter. You will see her soon." He glanced at Jace. "Take them to the ship."
Ramirez drifted back to himself. His son was going to be blamed?! Vyse would not even have to kill him, at this rate the boy would be murdered by the very citizens of Arcadia. But.. who were those men? Was it their ship on which he had seen Fina? The man had introduced himself as Xin… the name which the boy, Farran had used. This man must be the one with whom Celeste had lain with.
Ramirez growled. All this went on, yet he was helpless to stop it. Anger, sorrow, and love raged in him, and he cried out in fury, his voice echoing into the void.
"Ramirez…" She had returned. "Do not follow the path of Vyse. He lost himself to his emotions, you must control them, and come to terms with them, allow them to live within you in harmony. Else your soul will be divided, just as his was. Seek forgiveness…"
"Forgiveness?" His laughed mirthlessly. "I may have been able to forgive him my own death, but I can never forgive him for what he has done to Aika."
"Then, my love, you will become that which you most despise."
Vyse ignored the glass of offered loqua, and Galcian followed his example. Xin smirked and sat facing them. It had been a small challenge getting the Emperor and the Marshal to his ship, seeing as the docks at Sailors Island were teeming with Armada soldiers. They had cuffed the remaining two guards unconscious, and left them to be found, and had somehow managed to get the two men onto the small vessel without detection. Now the gigantic denizen of the sky, that was the Dread Ship rumbled beneath them, as the three men sat in the Captains quarters. Jace stood by the door, his hand idly twirling the spiked chain at his hip.
"Well, I must say it is an honour." Xin said, swilling some of the potent spirit. "To have an Emperor on board, and according to the gossip, one that has murdered his own kin."
Vyse remained seated, though his fists clenched in utter fury, and the words he ground out were hard and icy.
"If you mean to intimidate me old man, I can assure you it will not work." He said, a barely audible snarl lacing his voice, "I came here willingly enough to find my sister. I have heard nothing of any murder, and if you know something concerning the welfare of my father and mother, you will tell me now, or I will see you die where you sit!"
"Such a feat to accomplish, without any weapons." Mused Xin, a smirk on his face.
Galcian chuckled and shook his head.
"It stands to reason, that a petty piece of filth like yourself would not realise the extent of power someone such as the Emperor possesses. Ramirez trained him in the ways of magic, very well I might add." The Marshal smiled, "Perhaps you have heard of the Eterni Incantation?"
Xin's blue eyes flickered to the Emperor who was glaring at him with what could only be described as an animal hatred in his eyes. The man allowed a small chill up his spine. This man was dangerous, and not to be trifled with. Unlike his young sister, and Farran, he was not an easily intimidated and influenced child. He had grown up in the jungles of Ixa' Taka, hunting and fighting from the day he could walk. He had murdered the treacherous Admiral Vigoro when he was naught by a child, and had ruled fairly but firmly. Rapists, murderers, and abusers, more often than not were given a trial, and if found guilty, were offered to the Silver Gigas.
Eterni was rumoured to be one of the most painful ways in which to die. A million tiny shards of silver crystal, slamming into the body from all directions. So small that for a second, the victim would not feel it. Then, agony would flare through every cell, as each organ was pierced a thousand times.
"Aye, I have heard of it." Xin stood, looking at the men seriously. "The Princess is safe, however, I have hidden her identity by changing her physically, I did not want to be found with the girl in my possession, at least not before her and my son had mastered their new found abilities."
"What are you talking about?!" Snapped the Emperor, standing, coming to a slightly smaller height than the pirate.
"All in good time. I must tell you what I know of your father and mother, it is not much, probably twisted by the story tellers. But I will nto say it twice." He glanced to the man by the door.
"Jace, go and fetch the young Lady of Soltis, and the boy!"
"Aye Cap'n!"
It was the second time Fina felt herself unwillingly dragged from her warm slumber, wrapped in Farran's arms. However, this time, it was not nearly as roughly done.
She awoke after being brutally shaken awake by Jace. The tall pirate grinned down at them as the boy stirred beside her. Marius was on his feet, snarling in deadly warning, letting Jace know he would attack without hesitation, should any harm befall either of his charges.
"Rise and shine Lovebirds! You two have some visitors waitin' to see you in the Cap'n's quarters!"
"Visitors…?" mumbled Fina, sitting up and groggily rubbing at her eyes.
"Aye, now move it! Up on yer feet with yer!"
Gradually the pair came to their senses and followed the man out across the decks. Fina slipped her pale hand into the rough, larger one of Farran, as they walked side by side. Her other idly scratched at the beast's ears, as he padded beside her.
She smiled mischievously to herself, and whispered a Pyri spell so small, it merely warmed her against the cool evening air. She felt Farran stiffen slightly as the contact between them hummed with power. He shivered with pleasure, and was suddenly able to feel everything that the girl he adored felt. It was as if they had become on entity.
With no words spoken at all, she told him exactly how he made her feel, how his presence affected her, and in the same moment understood the warmth and love that swelled within him at the mere sight of her.
They were still connected, sharing and taking joy in the intense intimacy this simple contact allowed them, blind to the World, their bodies automatically following Jace, into the cabin.
"You two!!" Shouted Xin, his voice amplified by his fist slamming into the table top. "Stop what you are doing!!"
The pair snapped apart. Fina suddenly felt empty, and cold without his presence, not to mention, utterly exhausted. She glanced at Farran, he too was breathing rapidly, his face a little pale. She glanced away from him, and her eyes widened.
Vyse had stood when she entered, and now he gaped at her, aghast.
"Vyse!" She cried. Running to her brother she threw her arms about him, clinging to him fiercely. Her brother's strong arms crushed her desperately to him, as he choked on a few breaths, looking for words. Fina could smell her home on her brother, she had never thought about it before, but he carried the scent of Soltis on his royal clothes. Being close to him again, brought her one step closer to her father and mother.
"I knew you would find me.." She breathed into his shoulder. "I never thought I could miss Soltis so much."
Vyse held her at arms length for a moment, his face dark, taking in her ruined hair. He ran his hand roughly over her scalp, as if touching the stubble was the only way to confirm it. Then he spun away from her and grabbed Xin by his scruff.
"I'll see you die for what you have done to her!!" He snarled.
"Wait Vyse!" She called, her hand resting on his arm. "Let him go… please. He is not worth it."
Xin smirked at her, as her brother's hands slowly released him.
"Wise words little Princess, especially considering the news I have to pass onto you." His face darkened, and he motioned to the chairs. "I think you should sit when you hear this."
In grudging silence, Galcian, Vyse, and Fina slowly sat, Farran, with no chair, came to stand behind Fina's seat. Vyse glanced over his shoulder at the youth, who was so close to his sister. His lavender eyes narrowed fractionally, before he turned back to Xin.
"Say what you have to say old man." He snapped. Fina placed a hand over her brother's. One of his traits was a severe lack of patience, very much like Ramirez. And, as with her father, she had always been able to get past his tough exterior, and calm him. The two men in her life both loved and protected her to the point of suffocation, however, to disgrace, or shame themselves before her seemed like their worst kind of Hell. Vyse had never allowed her to be present for trials or executions, and she remembered when she was young, her father had always had Belle take her out of the room if he thought voices would even be raised. Fina, although wild, and unwilling to obey her father, had always been calmer, and far more patient. Now she willed her brother to douse the angry fire within him, and wait.
"Very well." Muttered Xin. He leaned his elbows on the desk, his finger tips pressing together, as he surveyed them solemnly. "It has reached my ears, that the High Lord Ramirez, your father, was killed two nights ago."
Fina went cold. Her blood thundered in her ears, and she felt ill. Her mouth moved, but no sound came out. Her father…?
"What?!" Roared Vyse, surging to his feet, sending the chair toppling backwards. "What are you talking about?!"
"As I say, it has come to my attention, that your father has been murdered. Your mother made a public announcement about it early yesterday morning."
"My mother is in bed, exceedingly ill!" The Emperor said, venom in his voice.
Fina had started to tremble, her face was ashen.
"Vyse.." She breathed. "He.. he's telling the truth…"
Her brother turned to her, and shock registered on his features when he saw how pale she had gone. He knelt before her, and grasped her hands.
"Fina, this man doesn't know what he is talking about! How could he?! I'm taking you home, we'll get back, and our parents will be there to greet us." He said, his voice thick, despite his confidence.
She shook her head, tears spilling over her lashes.
"No.. he.. he's right. He has to reason to lie… look at him!"
Vyse glanced at the Captain. The man's electric eyes were fixed on his, his face serious and deadly.
"I speak the truth, my Emperor." He muttered.
Vyse shakily sat down again, the chair had been picked up and righted by Jace, who had now handed Fina a rough patch of cloth to dry her eyes. Farran felt awkward and placed his hand gently on her shoulder, as it spasmed with her grief.
"How did you know of this before us?" breathed Galcian. "And what is this nonsense about Vyse killing his father?!"
Xin sighed.
"Well, news travels far faster on the winds of gossip, than it does from notices and official statements. In fact, the news reached me mere minutes before my crew came to your aid on Sailor's Island. By now, most of the World will believe you to be a murderer. Your mother, The High Lady, has taken on control of the Tower again. She is having General Marco, his wife and son, executed tomorrow at Sun Rise."
Fina sobbed.
"No.. not Vurg!" She shook her head, standing she threw herself into Farran's ready embrace and dissolved on his shoulder.
"But.. why..?" Vyse muttered. The man suddenly broke, and sobbed, his head falling onto his hands. "Why would my mother say such things?!" he cried.
Xin shook his head.
"I don't know.. but.. I have a feeling, its something to do with the man who 'saved' her from assassination." Brother and sister glanced at him. "The man's name, is Vyse."
Aika looked down at the ground, sighing, quickly growing bored of Vyse's attempts.
"It's not working my Love…" She mumbled, "The creature doesn't seem to respond to anything, perhaps it is best to just ignore the beastly thing."
Vyse growled and looked away from the floating Orb which was Zelos.
"I can't, for as long as I don't control it, that means, there is someone else who does."
Aika sighed and walked to the beautiful thrones. The four of them were clearly hand crafted, especially designed for each member of the Royal Family. She touched one, her fingers tracing over back rest. The image of a boomerang had been expertly hewn into it. Her hands tingled, it seemed so familiar to her. The longer she stayed in this place, it seemed that what she was doing was wrong. Every moment, Vyse became stranger to her. It was as if, before they had arrived here, he had had some kind of influence over her, everything he said made her happy. Now.. in this new place, which seemed so old to her, it was like that influence was fading, a veil slowly dropping from her mind. She thought of the poor man, and his family waiting in the cells, waiting for dawn, waiting to die. She shivered as Vyse's hand slipped around her waist. Why was she thinking these things? She loved this man.
WR: oooookay, so Rami has seen glimpses of how life goes on for his beloved family, and is feeling ultra sensitive now that all his emotions are released. And good old Fina still loves him dearly. But poor Aika.. shes starting to feel confused, lets hope she remembers Rami soon as for her kids.. well, Fina hasn't taken the news well, and Vyse is pretty pissed. Aww and Farran 3 I wish I had a Farran all of my own. Luck lil' Princess eh? And what about Zelos? And how is the Dark Kingdom gonna take the news of Celeste being killed… heh, just had to throw that in, as they are gonna come into play soon too ;) And of course.. whats gonna happen to our fav lil Vaulan Street urchin and his family eh? Keep reading 3