Before I launch into my story, I want to warn you all that, due to school starting in a few days, and my freshman year about to kick off, new chapters will not be as frequent anymore. I used to update, on average, every other day; now expect every other week at most.
Additionally, we're skipping the trip up the mountain, and going straight to Angel's trial.
That out of the way, let's git it on!
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Chapter 4: Angel's Trial
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Crossing a bridge that connected a deep chasm, Palom and Porom hestitated before following the others over.
"You guys, come on," Sefi yelled back.
"We've got somewhere to be," Angel added.
"Uh... Yeah, we're coming..." Palom said slowly, taking his sister's hand and dragging her across the bridge.
"They seem a little spaced out. What do you think is wrong?" Red whispered to Angel.
"I don't know. I hope it's nothing serious," Angel answered.
Once the whole party was on the other side of the bridge, a mysterious voice came to them on the wind.
"Child of my child..." It said, "I've been waiting for you to come..."
"What?" Sefi and Angel gasped together.
"Who are you?" Angel asked.
Before an answer came, a blinding white light flashed all around them, and when they looked again they were in a large, crystaline room who's walls seemed to be made of many sheets of glass, their reflections on everyone of them. The reflections bounced off one another like visible echoes, making the five very dizzy.
"You have made your parents upset and worried now, but they will be proud of you soon. The things you will do with you new powers will make the wrongs you've done in the past few days seem like specks of dust," The voice assured Angel; it didn't directly address her in any way, but everyone got the impression that it was speaking to her.
"And," He added, "You shall rule your land as a great queen. Step forward and let your trial begin." The whole party began to adveance to the middle of the room, but the voice commanded, "Only she may proccede."
No one needed any sort of explanation to know that 'she' was Angel, so everyone stepped back while Angel continued to the center of the room.
"My pain only worsened when I gave this power to your father, so many years ago; but he used that power wisely, and still uses it wisely today," The voice explained to her. "I must now make that pain grow worse still by giving that same power to you. An evil is coming, and my son alone cannot best it. Use your power wisely as well," It called to her before fading.
"Wait!" Angel cried out after it. "What pain? What are you talking about?"
"Angel! Look out! Turn around!" Palom screamed.
Angel looked behind her and saw her reflection in one part of the mirrored wall moving all on it's own. It was Angel's spitting image, exept that it was a shade darker in every way, as if it was covered by a shadow. Suddenly it stepped out of the wall and grinned evily, brandishing a cruel looking sword.
"Oh my gosh!" Angel shouted, backing away and wanting to find herself surrounded by her four commrades. Instead, she bumpped into what felt like a wall; only she didn't remember a wall being there before. She looked up and saw a wall of translucent green light blocking her way to her friends and sister.
"Turn and face me, you spineless princess," Angel's dark half growled, still grinning that maddening smirk.
There was another flash of white light, which made everyone on the other side of the light wall shield their eyes. But Angel didn't need to: for some reason, the light didn't find the light painful, although it should have blinded her by looking at it. Her dark half gave a screech of pain and terror, doubling over with agony.
"Draw your sword," The voice from before said to her.
Angel did as she was told, and took her dull bladed sword from it's shieth. The gold hilt suddenly burned like hot coals in her hand and she cried out, but she didn't let it go. The light slowly receded, and when she could see clearly she found that instead of wearing the torn, muddy white dress she'd left the castle in she was wearing a sleeveless white shirt, so clean that it looked almost sliver, white shorts and sliver boots. Her sword, which had a dull steel blade from so much fighting up the mountain and a tarnished gold hilt, was now sharp and sliver bladed and it's gold hilt shimmered like the sun.
"Wow!" Angel cried, very pleased with how the situation had tuened out. She turned to her dark side and said, "How much damage do you think I can do on you with this?"
"Ha!" The dark half laughed. "A wise paladin would shieth her sword."
"Just come at me," Angel demanded and ran forward. The dark half laughed again and ran up to meet Angel.
"Angel, no!" Porom yelled. "You can't beat it if you fight it!"
However, Angel was to busy fighting with her dark half to hear what the white mage had said. The dark half was a better fighter than Angel had expected. Angel whacked a huge gash in it's arm, but the wound healed immediately and the dark half repeated, "A wise paladin would shieth her sword."
"What does that mean?" Angel demanded. The dark half didn't answer, but continued battling Angel.
The fight raged on for minutes. Angel was trying her very best to beat the monster, but nothing was working so far. She sorely wished that Cecil had told her more of the trial. Finally, the dark half raked her sword arcoss Angel's side, and she fell to the floor. Her sword slipped from her hand, and the dark half kicked it several feet away before Angel could get it.
The dark half laughed again. "A wise paladin would shieth her sword," She said again.
"Stop saying that!" Angel demanded, clutching her bleeding side.
"What do you care," The dark half said to her, and raised her sword over her head. "You won't live long enough for it to matter."
Angel was in a tight spot; she'd never been able to make quick and important decisions on short notice, and this time it would cost her her life. But then, she got an idea and she rolled out of the way of her dark half's sword just as it came down.
"A wise paladin would shieth her sword... they're on the defensive all the time..." She reasoned, taking a potion out of her pocket and drinking the contents in one gulp and feeling the pain in her side vanish, and then dodging another blow from her dark half. "And when you're on the defensive you're not attacking... Chocobos, that's it!" Angel cried, finally figuring out the dark half's riddle.
She jumpped to her feet and looked her dark half in the face. "Betcha you can't get me," She said, and ran to the other side of the alotted space.
The dark half roared and and ran after her. She tried to run Angel through again, but Angel dodged again and her dark half hit the wall instead. Angel noted, with some triumph, that the dark half was growing pale and see through.
"Yes! Keep it up, Angel!" Red cheered.
"You're slaying it! It'll go down in no time!" Palom added.
"You're gonna make it! You'ree gonna pass the trial!" Sefi cried, feeling as good as her sister.
Angel just kept dodging the blows from her dark half, watching it get more and more translucent with every missed hit. At last, she brought her sword down on the floor as Angel rolled out of the way again. The dark half sank down to the floor, breathing heavily. She looked up at Angel with another angry look on her face.
"You've won this round, princess. Next time, you will crumbble to the evil you face," She growled, and faded away. All that was left of her was her jagged bladed sword, stuck in the glass floor.
The wall of green light faded too and everyone ran forward to Angel.
"You did it!" Palom yelled, scooping Angel into a bear hug. "We just knew you'd pass," He added, setting her back on the floor, only for her to be hugged again by Sefi.
"We were so worried about you for a minute," She said.
The voice from before began laughing warmly, and said, "I'm so proud of you, dear. Worry not about what your parents will do to you; they won't do anything to either of you. Lunarian blood runs through your veins; if you need help, call on the spirits of those now gone from you to help. Farewell, granddaughters."
"Wait! Come back!" Angel called, running after an unseen presence. "Who are you...?" She asked, in no more than a whisper.
The room deteriorated as suddenly as it had appeared, and the quintet found themselves standing on the mountain top in the bright midday sun.
Porom hesitantly walked up to Angel and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Come on, Angel," She said. "Let's get back to The Enterprise and get back to Mysidia."
"Yeah... That sounds good..." Angel said in a tired voice, and she sank to her knees, exausted from her fight and utter confusion over the voice that had addressed her. She felt something warm lift her up off the ground and hold her close. She looked up and saw Palom's face and realized that he was carrying her.
"Let's get you back to civilization before you burn out," He said.
"Alright..." Angel breathed, feeling light headed. She rested her head against his shoulder and fell asleep in an instant.
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The search party was flying back to Baron after checking Damcyan and Troia, where they thought Red might have told them to go. Cecil and Rosa were hoping that the kids might have returned to Baron, so they were going there.
"Why didn't we check Mount Ordeals when we went to Mysidia?" asked Rydia, who was helping with the search.
"Angel and Sefi are reckless, but they wouldn't go to the mountain without stopping in the nearest town. They're smarter than that," Cecil exlpained, somewhat absent mindedly.
"What if they didn't stop for once?" Rydia asked. Cecil didn't answer. Rydia decided not to press him about it; he had a lot on his mind right now.
Suddenly, Cecil's eyes went wide and he looked more alert than he had in several days.
"Cecil, what's wrong?" Rydia asked, a bit concerned. "We have to get back to Mysidia, now!" He said and ran to Cid, who was steering the airship. "Cid, take us to Mysidia," He directed.
"Why Mysidia? We already looked there and the girls weren't there," Cid said, confused with the situation.
"Something's going on; something... wrong," Cecil explained, looking rather distant.
"I feel it too," Rosa said, coming to stand by Cecil. "Get us to Mysidia as fast as you can," She urged.
"But..." Cid started.
"Now," Cecil and Rosa both cut him off.
"Aye aye, captains," Cid said reluctantly, and changed the course from Baron to Mysidia.
"Do you think we'll find the kids in Mysidia?" Edward asked.
"I hope so. But, at any rate, something's happening there; or at least in that area that has to do with our children... particularly Angel..." Cecil trailed off, testing every possible angle of the vibe he felt for something that would tell him more of what was happening. Rosa did the same.
Rydia and Edge watched them; watching the proccess fascinated them to no end. So when Rosa gasped and their eyes shot open, Edge and Rydia were very concerned.
"What is it? What's going on?" Edge asked, racing across the deck.
Without answering, Cecil and Rosa ran back to Cid, and Rosa said, "Cid, don't even stop at the city: go straight to the mountain!"
"What? Why?" Cid demanded.
"Just do it," Cecil commanded. "Something really bad has happened."
Cid sighed. "To Mount Ordeals," He said, and they went off at full speed.
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Porom warpped everyone to the bottom of the mountain and they hurried to The Enterprise. Sefi began shouting out orders to everyone.
"Palom, take Angel downstairs; Porom you go with him and help him. Red, you stay up here and help me get this piece of junk off the ground," She said. The mage twins ran downstairs and Red ran to the steering wheel where Sefi was waiting for her.
"Wanna learn how to drive an airship?" She asked Red. Red's eyes went wide.
"Really?" She asked.
"Yeah. It's easier than falling off a bike. I'll show you," Sefi said, and went to the door that led down to the cabins, where Palom and Porom had taken Angel.
"Hey, down there!" She called. "We're getting ready for take off, so brace yourselves," She warned, and went back to the wheel where Red was wating for that driving lesson.
Only five minutes later found the airship off the ground, with Red at the wheel and Sefi observing from a few feet away. Red was having the time of her life; this was going to be a lot of fun.
Meanwhile, downstairs, Palom and Porom were stuggling with Angel's health. Her fight had rendered her very weak and Porom was having difficulty getting her strength back in check. Though the gash in her side had closed and the pain went away, it hadn't healed completely and had reopened. Porom was doing her best to fix it, but the wound was deep and stuborn and wouldn't answer to her heal spells.
With no bandages around, and need of some, Palom suggested tearing off the bottom half of Angel's long silvery shirt to use. Porom hadn't agreed with the idea at first, but she realized that it was either do or die (litterally) so she had to go with her brother's idea. Palom handed his knife to Porom and she began to cut the fabric. She stopped somewhere below Angel's chest and tore the material off. When she was done, Angel was wearing no more than a midriff tank top. Porom was a bit embarassed to have reduced Angel's amount of clothing so drastically, but it was worth it in the end. The silvery fabric made an ideal bandage; the blood didn't seep through it, and did'n't even leave a stain.
"I must find out how to make this," Porom said when she made these observations.
"How long do you think she'll sleep?" Palom asked, sounding worried.
"She'll probably sleep long into tomorow," Porom guessed, "But there's no way to tell for sure. For all I know she'll wake up in 15 minutes, but that's highly unlikey."
Sefi suddely appeared in the doorway. "Hey, what's going on in here? ...What did you do to Angel's shirt?" She asked.
"I'll explain later. Why aren't you driving the ship?" Porom asked nervously.
"Oh, Red's driving. We want to know how you guys feel about going up to Damcyan and hidding out there for a while," Sefi said.
Palom and Porom looked at each other for a moment, nodded, and Palom said, "Sure. Let's go."
"Great! I'll go tell Red. Take care of Angel, please," She said, and walked away. She would have stayed longer to help with Angel, but she was leery about leaving Red alone at the wheel for too long.
"Damcyan sounds good to them," Sefi announced, surrfacing in the deck.
"Yes! Home again, home again, jiggity jog," Red sang happily and drove on. Sefi was happy that Red was happy. She turned to look back at the mountain they'd just come from. It was begining to get smaller, finally. Sefi wanted to out as much distance between them and Mount Odeals. Then she gasped.
"The elder! Shouldn't we go back and tell him we're alright?" Sefi cried.
"Nuts, you're right! I'll get us turned around," Red said and began turning the wheel.
"No, no no no no no! Wait wait wait! Don't turn around, go sraight onto Damcyan!" Sefi ordered.
"What? Why?" Red asked, confused.
"That's why," Sefi said, pointing to a big brown spot, hoovering in the sky near the mountain.
"It's our parents! They tracked us to the mountain!" Red cried.
"What should I do?" She asked Sefi. Sefi thought for a moment, deciding what to do.
"Drive onto Damcyan. The elder will probably know that we're okay, and we can't get caught by our parents," She instructed. Red obeyed and turned the ship back around.
"How do I get the engines to full balst?" She asked.
"Like this," Sefi said, running over and pulling a lever to the proper setting, and they jetted off, hoping that no one had seen or heard them.
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An hour later, there came a knock on the elder's door. He ran to open it and saw Cecil and Rosa standing there once more, looking rather cross.
Uh oh, He thought.
"You lied to us," Cecil stated.
"... What are you talking about?" The elder asked.
"You said that Angel and Sefi never came here before," Rosa said. "We know they were on Mount Ordeals, and they wouldn't go up there without checking in with you first; at least Palom and Porom wouldn't."
"...Alright, fine, so I lied. They needed a little time to get up that blasted mountain without you two stalking after them," The elder dismissed and walked away, provoking the king and queen to follow him inside.
"You helpped them go up there?" Cecil asked in dissbelief. "What else have you done recently?" He asked, his temper really starting to go.
"Like I said the other day," The elder said, "I'm sure they're quite capable. I sence that they've even gotten off the mountain and are heading northwest this very minute."
"All that we know is that something went wrong while they were up there, and we'd like to know what," Cecil said.
"That feeling that you and your wife got was Angel, taking the paladin trial... Which she passed," The elder explained. "She's probably just really tired and maybe dinged up a bit, but if Porom's still with them I'm sure that your daughter will be fine."
"But..." Cecil started.
"Your daughter just wants to be like you, you know," The elder cut him off. "She told me herself. Her real dream, I think, is to be like her father. Why not let her? I mean, her father is a good person, rules his kingdom wisely, loves his family, and, to top it off, saved the world once. I don't see the harm in letting her try to be like you," He said.
"Being like me means putting herself in danger that I don't even want to think about. I'm not about to let that happen to her," Cecil explained, hoping that that would be enough to make the elder shut up and realize that he was right.
"I see your point, but still. If she's anything like you, or Rosa, she's not going to listen to reason, or stop to think about her actions, until she either gets what she wants or is forced to listen to what's being said to her. I'm not saying not to try and make her listen, but, once again, if she's anything like you two, I'm sure she can handle whatever comes her way... Especially if she's with friends. And she went off with her sister, Palom, Porom, and that princess who calls herself 'Red'," The elder said.
"That's where we thought she went," Rosa said, sounding annoyed.
"Wait... Did you say they were going northwest a minute ago?" Cecil asked the elder. The elder nodded.
"If you feel around for a vibe, I'm sure you'll see it," He instructed. Cecil and Rosa did as the elder said and, soon enough, they found a vibe. When they thought about it just right, they could picture Sefi and Red driving The Enterprise together, as then the image changed into a castle of dark gray stone in the middle of a yellow sanded desert.
"Damcyan," They blurted out at once.
"Now they decide to go there," Rosa sighed, running her hands through her long, strawberry blonde hair.
"So, you're going after them?" The elder asked.
"We have to," Cecil said, turning to go to the door.
"Not really," The elder said casually. "If I were you, I'd just sit back and wait for them to get back, see how much stronger they've become."
"And you wouldn't do anything to them when they came home?" Rosa asked.
"No... Except for Palom. One has to punish him for everything he does," The elder joked.
"But I want my daughters back before they do something else stupid," Cecil said, walking out the door before the elder could say anything to him.
"Like I said," The elder said to Rosa, "Doesn't stop to listen to reason or think about his actions until he gets what he wants or is made to listen." He laughed and wandered back into the kitchen, where he'd been making a sandwich before the couple showed up.
"Thanks for what little help you offered," Rosa sarcasticly called after him and ran after Cecil. The elder watched them run down the walk in the courtyard and dissapear around the corner, hoping that Cecil would eventually let lose with Angel.
The two arrived out of breath on their airship, and everyone autimatically crowded around them asking what the buzz was.
"Get out of their way," Rydia said, pushing everyone out of their way. "Give them some air, for pete's sake. So, what happened?" She asked.
"You're all going to kill us, but we need to go back to Damcyan," Cecil explained.
"What?" Egde whined. "But we just got back from Damcyan."
"We know," Rosa said. "It irks us too. But that's where they're going now. We need to catch them."
"So," Cid said, "Set a course northwest?"
Cecil sighed and said, "Yes. Take us back to Damcyan."
"Great. Off we go," Cid said, rubbing his hands together and marching back to the steering wheel.
"Why would they go to Damcyan if they know we'd be checking there?" Alara wondered.
"Maybe they think they can dodge us by hiding under our noses," Rydia suggested.
"Maybe... Perhaps Red just wanted to go home..." Alara mused. Rydia sighed boredly.
"I wonder how Kain's holding down the fort back in Baron," She wondered out loud.
"All that I can say is that he'd better not betray us right now," Edge commented.
"He won't, dear," Rydia said to him. Edge srugged and leaned back against the mast. Although Rydia didn't really blame Edge for being so untrusting in Kain. All that Rydia had ever really known of Kain since she was small was him running off and betraying everyone; even though he had appeared to have strong feelings for Rosa and, for a time, herself. She'd used to hope that those attractions would keep him on the straight and narrow, but, apparently, she had been wrong. Kain was lucky she put so much trust in him; he didn't really deserve any trust from her at all. Edge had never really liked Kain from the start, so he never had any faith in the dragoon coming through for anyone. She hoped as hard she could that Kain was being a good regent while they were away.
The airship lurched and the ground began to fall out from beneath them. Rydia and Alara leaned over the edge of the rail and watched the land begin to zip away below them. Rydia loved airflight; she felt so alive with the wind blowing through her long green hair.
I hope the kids are alright... She thought as the ship sailed across the sea, towards the desert.
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Yeah, I've changed my mind about Kain. He's not with the party, he's serving as regent while Cecil and Rosa are gone.
Also, that moment at the begining, when Palom and Porom hasitated before crossing the bridge: that's where Scarmiglion fought them, Cecil, and Tellah in the game. I wanted to include something like that even though he's not in this story (or her, depending on who you are... You know who are you, Canada-Boy... That's not his pen name, I jut like to call him that)
Oh, and that remark that Sefi made about flying an airship being easier than falling off a bike was made by Cid to Edge in the actuall game. Just wanted to point that out.
Well, my brother's screaming at me to get of the computer, so I'd better hurry up. Toodles!