Chapter 8: A Shocking Truth Revealed
Alma awoke the next morning slightly tired and sore, but very content. Neither she nor Izlude had gotten much sleep the night before but they didn't mind. She had awoken sometime after she had fallen asleep to her lover's playful nips, sweet kisses, and soft caresses as he gently rolled her over and made love to her again until they were both flushed and panting. After they had exhausted themselves, he held her some more until they both fell asleep again. Since it was their second time, Alma was less tense as well as more comfortable with Izlude's quicker and stronger pace; the first time they joined she felt pain in the beginning, but this time, it was only pure pleasure. Growing up in a monastery of Glabados, Alma had been taught her whole life that intimacy with anyone other than one's spouse was a sin, but since she was no longer a follower of Saint Ajora, the founder of a false religion, it no longer mattered to her.
Alma smiled and turned over to look at her handsome sleeping lover. Izlude was lying peacefully on his side with the sheets rumpled and pushed down to his waist, revealing his tanned, muscular body. After two rounds of lovemaking and a few hours of sleep, he looked completely content, relaxed, and at peace. Glancing at the window, Alma saw that it was not long till sunrise and did not wish for her love to be late to his duties. Leaning over, she gave him a kiss.
"My love…it's time to get up. You wouldn't want have to explain to your servants why you weren't in your chambers when they arrived to change you, do you?"
Izlude awoke and yawned as smiled at his blond lover. "Of course, not. Thank you for reminding me; I could get used to waking up that way" he said with a wink. More than anything, he wished for this to last; it would be pure heaven to be with Alma like this every night and wake up next to her every day for the rest of his life.
Alma laughed softly before becoming serious. They both knew what kind of day they would be waking up to. She would finally be reunited with Ramza but never knew that leaving Izlude would be so hard until now because she no longer wished to. How ironic it was that the very man who kidnapped her for his superiors was now going to help her escape to protect her from their wrath. Her whole life, she had lived for her favorite brother and never thought she'd see the day when she would be torn between him and another man. When Izlude proposed to her, Alma thought she would be able to turn her fiancé to her's and Ramza's cause but now circumstances has placed the choice entirely out of her hands; she was going to be returned to her brother and forced to leave her love behind whether she wanted it or not, for her own safely and protection.
Izlude sensed her thoughts for he got up and took Alma in his arms once more as if comforting a small child. Even though she said nothing, he still knew what she was thinking. "I know how you feel, Alma. This isn't what I want either, but I can think of no other way; please understand…"
"I do" she assured him as she returned his embrace. She knew that her fiancé only had her best interests at heart; Izlude loved her, of that she had no doubt- loved her enough to give up his position in the Knights Templar and risk the wrath of his superiors by helping her escape.
"I feel a great evil abroad; I don't know why, but I cannot ignore it. You must remain in your room today and I will send Justin to sneak you out of the castle when the meeting between my father and the duke takes place tonight. If there is anything you need until then, my servants will attend you, but promise me you will not leave here Justin arrives."
"Yes, you have my word" she promised. It was a silly promise considering that she could not leave her room anyway when her door was locked and he had the key but she made it all the same, if only for Izlude's peace of mind. If anything, she felt that he was pleading with her not to make any escape attempts through the windows or by tricking the servants into letting her leave.
Izlude sighed in relief. "Thank you. I don't know where your brother intends to take you after this but I hope that we will see each other again when this war is over."
"Of course, we made a promise, didn't we? That I would be your wife and you my husband?"
Izlude tried his hardest not to let a look of discomfort show on his face; he knew there was no guarantee that either of them would get out of this war alive but he was determined to increase Alma's chances of survival even if it meant diminishing his own.
"Yes" he answered, trying to sound as confident as possible. "I must go now, my love. Good-bye and please remember your promise."
"I will…" Alma said sadly, trying her hardest not to let the tears she had been holding back fall. She had to be strong, for herself and for her love, and said no more as he quickly got dressed and left her chamber.
SSSSSS
The day passed by all too quickly for Izlude's comfort and he returned to his room to wait for Malak to arrive before the two of them headed off to attend the meeting between his father and the duke. Earlier that day, he made sure to let his subordinate and friend know his plan and told him of the secret passage in the library. In addition to buying Justin time to smuggle Alma out of the castle, he also wanted to confront his father to learn the true intentions of the High Confessor and Knights Templar as well as confirm if his suspicions about the Zodiac demons were correct. If Izlude was going to relinquish his position and forsake the knighthood, something he had worked hard for his whole life, he had to be certain.
Fortunately, he did not have to wait at all; as soon as Izlude arrived at his chambers, he already found Malak standing at the door waiting for him, dressed in his usual white garb with his rod at his side. "My lord, I was not expecting you to get here before me; have I kept you waiting long? If so, I apologize."
Malak shook his head. "No, not at all, Sir Izlude. I have only just arrived here before you did. The meeting will take place soon; shall we be going now?"
"Yes, of course. Lead the way, my lord."
As Izlude and Malak made their way through the castle hallways and towards the duke's meeting room, they heard voices as if the meeting had started earlier then the appointed time. If that was true, their fathers could not fault them for arriving late. When they arrived at the door, Malak reached for the knob and prepared to turn it but Izlude stopped him. Upon seeing the wizard look at him curiously, he shook his head "Let us not interrupt them just yet" he said in a low voice. "I would like to hear this, if you do not mind."
Though they both knew eavesdropping was bad manners, Malak complied because he also had the same suspicions as his friend and wished to confirm them. Nodding in silent agreement, he released his hand from the knob and stepped back to make room for Izlude. Pressing their ears against the wood of the doors, they listened quietly to the conversation going on inside the meeting room…
SSSSSS
The meeting room of Castle Riovanes was rather plain for a castle owned by such a wealthy lord, a lord who obtained his wealth by supplying both sides of a war with weapons and showing allegiance to neither. The banners, rugs, and table made it presentable for meetings between nobles and military officials but little else. At the end of the table, surrounded by two knights as his bodyguards, sat a middle-aged, bald man in a green robe. He was Duke Gerrith Barrington, lord of Riovanes, and across the table from him were Vormav Tingel and Weigraf Folles, top officers of the Knights Templar. Though the duke offered them seats, the two Templars preferred to stand as if sitting down with the obese Barrington was beneath them. However, the duke ignored the insulting gesture and began.
"Welcome! How do you like my castle? It looks a little spartan compared to Lesalia Castle, but I like it. This castle is built for war and that alone makes it more beautiful than one built for government. Ivalice has always been ruled by men with 'power' and this war proved the royal family has lost the 'power'.
"Get to the point" the knight named Vormav snapped. He may be the leader of the Knights Templar but he had little, if any, patience for small talk or meaningless distractions.
Barrington scowled but did his best to ignore the knight's rudeness. "You're being impatient" he warned as he got up from his seat and started pacing around the room. If Vormav wanted him to be blunt, so be it. "To be quite frank… can we work together?"
"What do you mean?"
"As I said, men with 'power' rule Ivalice. So who has the 'power'? Duke Larg of the Hokutan? Or Duke Goltana of the Nantan?" Not giving Vormav time to answer, Barrington continued. "Neither. Its you, the Knights Templar, who hold the stones."
Vormav raised an eyebrow as if in interest but did not reply and waited for the duke to continue.
"Holy Stones have great power. According to ancient legend, a natural disaster in Murond was caused by its power."
In response to this, Vormav lowered his head as if trying to hide the fact that he was actually laughing at the duke's implication. "Ha ha ha, well, excuse me, but I did not expect a grand duke such as yourself to believe in such fairy tales."
Barrington looked at him incredulously. "So you're saying you don't believe it?" he pressed "That's strange, they said that Count Draclau of Lionel died from…problems with the stone."
"I heard he died of illness" Vormav replied smoothly, giving the duke a look as if daring him to challenge his statement; he was lying and they both knew it. But instead of calling him on it, Barrington asked:
"Then why are you after the youngest Beoulve? Why chase him as a 'heretic'?
"We don't question decisions made by heresy examiners" Vormav replied as if that would answer the question. But the duke wasn't satisfied.
"Oh my… so you're saying you know nothing about it?" he challenged "But you may change your mind after seeing this."
Vormav and Weigraf looked at the duke as if in confusion as he called for his adopted son.
"Malak!"
Upon hearing his name being called, Malak turned to Izlude and he nodded his agreement. It was time to make their presence known and the two young men opened the door and entered the meeting room with Izlude coming in first and Malak following behind.
As everyone in the room watched, Izlude approached his father with his head slightly bowed as if in apology. He had failed to obtain the Germonik Scriptures and Ramza's Holy Stones but that was not his concern anymore; his first priority now was to protect Alma, the woman he loved, and if he had to face his father's wrath for his failure, so be it.
"Forgive me, father" he said quietly.
The duke gave a smug grin "We have Scorpio and Taurus. It looks like my men beat yours to it" he bragged as he waited for Vormav's reaction.
Vormav regarded his son suspiciously as if he felt Izlude was hiding something from him but refrained from calling him on it. "I see" he said simply. Although his father remained calm, Izlude could sense his seething displeasure rising to the surface. What suddenly happened next caught everyone in the room completely off guard.
"MORAN!" Vormav roared as he struck Izlude across the face. The pain from the blow was incredible, nearly knocking the young knight blade off his feet. His father had been displeased with him and Meliadoul before, but had always treated them with more leniency then his other subordinates who failed him. He also certainly never struck Izlude before, and especially not with such malice. The knight blade felt the taste of blood in his mouth as he struggled to regain his balance. When he finally managed to look his father in the eyes, he saw that they were no longer their natural green color, but red as the fires of hell.
Upon witnessing the scene, Malak looked as if he wanted to intervene but Izlude made a quick gesture for him to stay back as this was not his problem or concern. Even the duke and his knights were shocked by Vormav's sudden, violent outburst but Izlude did not wish for anyone to provoke his father further. Luckily, before anyone could say anything, another Riovanes knight rushed into the room and called out to Barrington.
"Excuse me, sir! We verified the intruder's identity!"
The duke turned to his adopted son "Malak, I will let you take care of him" The dark-skinned wizard hesitated to leave but Izlude nodded to him as if quietly telling him to remove himself from this dangerous situation as soon as possible. Though he did not wish to leave his friend behind, it appeared that he had no choice so Malak sighed and made a quick bow before leaving. After he was gone, Vormav calmed down and turned to the duke.
"What do you want?" he demanded impatiently, his eyes narrowing.
The duke sat down at his table once more, placed his elbows on the flat surface, and rested his chin in his folded hands. "As I said before, I want to work together."
"And if I refuse?" Vormav challenged.
The duke simply nodded as he shrugged his shoulders "The church's injustice will be exposed, that's all" he answered smoothly.
"You can't prove it with just the Holy Stones."
"Perhaps. But how about with the Germonik Scriptures? Larg, Goltana, and the senate ought to be interested…"
"Where is it?" Vormav demanded.
The duke shook his head "Oh, I can't tell you that…" The man's sing-song, taunting tone as he answered the question was the last straw for the leader of the Knights Templar.
"Weigraf, go after the wizard" he ordered as he turned to his comrade "I'll take care of things here." The other man nodded in obedience as he turned to follow the departed Malak. Upon seeing Weigraf casually leave the room, Barrington quickly shot up from his seat.
"Don't do anything funny!" he warned "The odds are against you."
To this, Vormav grinned, his distorted smile causing a shiver to run down the duke's spine. "Odds?" he taunted "What do you weak humans think you can do?"
Upon hearing this, Izlude looked up in confusion. "Father?"
Vormav ignored him as he continued "Don't underestimate us" he sneered "Killing you is easy..."
Upon hearing the chilling tone of the knight's voice, Barrington tried to hide his rising fear behind a mask of rage. "Are you opposing me?!" he demanded. At the duke's panicked voice, more knights rushed into the room, preparing to draw their swords to protect their lord. However, Vormav did not appeared to be the slightest bit bothered at being clearly outnumbered.
"Want to fight?" he challenged "Fine; I'll show you the power of the Holy Stone!" Before anyone can react, the knight reached into the pocket of his purple cloak and pulled out a Holy Stone, the very stone the High Confessor had given him as a consolation gift after the passing of his beloved wife. What happened next was even more shocking then his violent outburst towards Izlude earlier. There was a bright flash of gold light that nearly blinded everyone in the room and when the light subsided, Vormav was gone and in his place was… was…
An abomination.
A/N: Ok, chapter 8 down! I know my fic has become slightly AU but I want to remain as true to the original storyline as possible with my own twists to make it more interesting :) Like I stated in my previous author's notes, I prefer to use the modern English dialog of the original PS1 FFT then the Shakespeare-style dialog of the PSP remake since I started this fic before I played it. I appreciate any and all reviews and suggestions but I do prefer signed reviews so I can answer any inquires made to me. Thank you and see you next chapter!