6.
Gabranth had followed Lord Larsa's directions and finally managed to arrive—with great difficulty—at his residence later that evening. His mind was a jumble of mixed-up thoughts and feelings. He had spoken with Basch directly after the interrogation of the Judges, explaining that though he had no memory, he would try to keep a civil manner about him. Basch had explained many things; some that Nadia had apparently either overlooked or had been too cautious to try. More than all else that he remembered, he had a hard feeling of frustration. Accompanying that was the intense feeling of duty and obligation to his Lord Emperor. And along with that were the dim laces of guilt and love he felt whenever his "wife" was about. He felt he would never recover the absolute truth, and felt disappointed in that. Sometimes when he closed his eyes, however, he could remember large clips of events that seemed to stream together somewhat. In a word, he was confused.
At first when he entered his home, he had frightened Nadia. She was no longer used to someone just walking into her house. However, she melted into her usual persona when she realized it was he. "Zargabaath and Millaje deny any knowledge of any event relating to you or Nethicite, much less trying to take your life for the weapon." He stood awkwardly at the front door. He wasn't quite sure what would have been his normal routine when he arrived.
"I've found no trace of it's whereabouts, either, and my assistants claim to know naught of its theft."
"I see."
She smiled at him, as if he were comical, and pulled him inside by the arm. "You'll take your meal, then, I suppose."
"I….suppose." He was letting himself be led along by a woman he didn't remember much of and was half his size. He took a deep breath, nearly able to taste her intoxicating shampoo. As it was, she appeared to have no shame for him to see her in her bathrobe, bare-footed, with damp hair.
"Then sit," she ordered, pointing to the large recliner in the center of what must have been the living room, "And I'll bring what's left of it."
He couldn't take his eyes off of her, even as she bustled about the kitchen preparing his meal, chatting busily about the different possibilities of regaining his memory. "…Though I don't think you fancy a jarring of that sort…" and then, "…should have tested it's reaction a bit more thoroughly before proceeding…" and then something about "If the Nethicite did not have enough time to function completely, it could have charged the body, but not the mind." He just figured he was doomed forever to have to start anew. But as he watched her, listened to her voice, he felt something he would indeed forever remember. He felt an unfamiliar fire, while at the same time a numb stinging. What would be the luck if he had actually married this beautiful woman? He watched her—his eyes never strayed—as she swayed on one hip to fetch a glass of water. He watched her muscles in her legs tense attractively as she stood on her toes to get a plate from the upper cupboard. Gazing on, he took in how she shimmied as she stirred a pot briskly. Before he realized it, his eyes were trailing up as she stood over him, offering him the plate of food. His eyes rested on her collarbone, where was left a scar of some sort just to the left of her throat. "Did you speak to your brother?" She questioned, handing him the plate.
His mouth opened for a moment as he tried to figure out what the conversation had just been and wondered if she had noticed him staring at her features in such a way. He found his voice at last, managing to act as if nothing out of the way had just happened. He hoped that in his previous life he had not been so inept in dealing with her. "I did. He also states that we reconciled. He seems to be an honorable man…" He picked at his food for a moment. "…though I'll not know for some time, I'm sure."
She smiled at him, once again turning him hot under his collar. "He has tried so hard since you disappeared. At first, when His Excellency Larsa gave me the news, I was appalled. I dared not believe that the Basch I knew would cheat his brother of his former life. However, Lord Larsa informed me of the true circumstances. I asked that my identity remain a secret. I couldn't come to terms with facing Basch, not so closely after you disappeared."
He nodded, slowly eating, trying very hard not to look her direction.
"Lo, however, Leith had incessant questions. He asked such things as: 'When is daddy coming home' and 'Why do you cry?' or 'Why did not he see me today when I waved?' The hardest one for me was forever, 'Can I sleep with you, because daddy never comes anymore?"
He swallowed hard in order to force his food down. His memory may have been very little, but that concept did not elude him.
"But I suppose Basch suffered much, as well. He's missed you so; thusly said Lord Larsa himself." She smiled sweetly, placing her hand on his knee. He froze, staring at it. "But no one could have ever missed you as much as I."
For a few moments, his eyes met hers. Since he couldn't technically remember whether they were married or not, it was a struggle to believe the thoughts he was entertaining towards her were proper. He wanted to respect her, to look upon her like any other person, but in his heart, he felt he could not. "I have the fleeting feeling that anything good in my life…" he began, and then stopped. Her mouth was suddenly against his. His heart leapt up to a considerable rate as the plate fell to the coffee table beside him with a loud crash. The only things he could feel--he could know--were the words he had just said. The only source of joy he had ever had in his life was built around her. His memory was very little, but his love was very great. She had needed him for a long time, and he would dare not refuse her now.
--- ---
Two hours later, there was a slight chime from the ceiling. Someone was apparently at the door. Nadia woke with a start, as she was nestled in Noah's right arm. She was cozy and comfortable and didn't want to be disturbed in the slightest. "Go away," she mumbled, hugging him closer. He barely stirred. His death hadn't changed at least one thing—the way he slept. She had always been the light sleeper, and he had always somewhat resembled a coma patient. The soft chime sounded again. With a sigh, she rolled away from her husband in dismay. She fumbled through the dark to find her robe and eventually did, managing to find some warm slippers as well. "The emperor had best be on his deathbed," she grumbled irritably. She tripped over two of Leith's toys on the way to the door. Her hair was a mess, she supposed, and she looked as if she were on heavy sedatives. By the time she reached the entryway, she was very upset. "Basch?" She muttered, pulling her hair back.
"I apologize," he began humbly. "I should not have called you at this late hour." He was dressed in a plain white tunic and cloth pants of a khaki color, with brown boots. He looked somewhat sloppy. She realized his arrival had been completely unplanned.
"And you decided to just get up in the middle of the night and speak to your brother."
"In actuality, I was wondering if I mayhap speak with you."
She thought on that for a few moments. She would not have thought it a bad idea, herself, but Gabranth was already proving himself to be very suspicious. Then again, this was Basch! She had no inclination to think harshly of his honor. She didn't feel the slightest nervousness at seeing him. Besides, she owed him much after all she had put him through these last few days. "Very well," she decided. "Wouldn't want anyone to see you and think you had a fight with your wife, now do we?"
He didn't know what to say about that. He took in the surroundings of her home with an astounded air. "You've done well," he offered.
"Not I," she replied. "I merely kept busy in my occupation. Your brother has provided for us well." She gestured to the chair at the kitchen table.
He took a seat, still gazing about. "It is of my brother that I wish to speak."
She hesitated for a moment, eyeing him with a glance. "Oh?" And then she added, "Would you like anything?"
"No, nothing." He took a deep breath. "I wished to speak with you because I have many questions. You are the only one I feel can answer them for me."
She poured herself a glass of water in silence for a few long moments, and then sat across from him. "Continue." It was easy to see she was a bit troubled over what type of information he may need. No doubt some of Gabranth's suspicions before they reconciled had come away on her as well.
He sighed. "The Noah I knew fought tooth and nail for Landis. He would have sacrificed his own skin to keep it safe. He would not abandon it to Archades, no mention the cost to himself. Why did he turn to being an Archadian Judge?"
She fell into a natural smile, her eyes getting the glassy glaze that she often had when speaking of her beloved. "Then the Noah you and I know is no different. There are many things that took place. Some of them I cannot even begin to understand. However, he took the position of Judge in the beginning to protect Landis."
"I do not understand," he admitted. "How so?"
"When Landis was first taken, they stripped him of honor. He had to swear loyalty to Archades and beg in order for them to even consider sparing my life. They trained him harshly, tearing him from all dignity and self-respect as he worked, always claiming that if he wished to reclaim himself, all he would have to do is work hard and adopt their ways. Even that was not enough to break him. However, only two months later, as we were traveling through the slums of the market in which we lived, he saw a Landian woman at the mercy of an Archadian general. He tried to save her, despite risk to himself and his reputation. Nevertheless, a Judge by the name of Zecht stepped in. He took strict action against the general, even having him executed the next day. He told Noah he had heard much of him and asked to speak with him later. Noah complied. Zecht had already spoken with emperor Gramis Solidor; Gramis wanted his power. Therefore, Zecht encouraged him to become a Judge."
"And he complied?"
"You must understand. Everything about Noah was different than the other five Judges: he was younger, foreign, and attached to a family. Most judges have power and wisdom later in life, are born into sworn citizenship, and swear loyalty only to their country and have no time for personal attachments. It was an honor to be offered something such as that when he was indeed nothing in his own eyes. He became, in essence, an honorable member of the elite bodyguard. More than that, he could watch over what was left of the Landian people. He protected them from crimes of hate with an iron fist. He vowed never to let such torment as what happened to that woman happen to anyone else again—not whilst he was in a position to halt it. The refugees loved him for it. And so did I."
Noah shook his head. "Difficult thing. You've never enjoyed war."
"Oh, misunderstand me not! Gabranth and I had our tussles. At first, I could not believe that he had taken such action. Mostly I felt such because I recognized a change within him. He had a growing need for redemption. In him rose a swelling disdain, and he felt the only way to suffer it was to do away with whomever was causing it."
"I."
Her eyes met his, seeming to accuse him once more with her stare. "He blamed you for most everything, yes." She tilted her head to the side, studying him. "And did you hate your brother in like manner?"
There was no point in lying to her now. He nodded. "Aye. When Nabudis fell, when I was targeted in Nabradia—I felt hatred as you cannot imagine."
She took a long sip of her water. They were unaware that Gabranth was listening to every word spoken in the next room. "May I ask you, Basch? The matter of Landis was an enormous weight in his mind. He confided in me once that, even if your intentions had been noble, you would have at least tried to convince others before you left."
"There was no time," Basch replied, defensively. "I did as a must. I trusted Noah to realize his mistake and surrender before it was too late."
"And when you returned to Landis? The flowers underfoot, the dead men, the burned houses? Did you not curse Noah for his mistake?"
"We have established that." He said, an edgy tone to his voice. "We both made a mistake. We reconciled our differences at the last, and that is what matters."
She nodded triumphantly. "Exactly."
His eyebrows furrowed in confusion for a moment until he figured out exactly what she had been speaking of. Deep down inside, he was still trying to pin the problems on his brother. He had always thought of himself as the noble one, while Gabranth was the dark man with a history of mistakes. He, the loyal queen's knight, while his brother was naught but an assassin. Nadia knew him far too well. "I seek to know my brother," he finally said, gently. "I have not had the chance thus far."
"If you wish to know of your brother, give him the chance you would like to have," she responded. She took another sip of her water, her eyes never leaving him. "I have given him another chance of redemption. Perhaps you should do the same."
Of course. Nadia had given him a chance to prove himself, in effect, when she raised him with the Nethicite. All Basch had to do was sit back and watch the redemption unfold. "And now that he had no memory," he replied calmly, watching her expression carefully for any hidden meaning, "You would rebuild him the way you would like?"
Gabranth, in the next room, held his breath as he waited for her reply. "Never," she replied, smiling at Basch over the rim of her glass. "Then he would no longer be Gabranth." Her husband sighed in relief, smiling to himself. She had indeed loved him. It was worth more than any previous memory he could have possessed.
"Mommy!" Cried Leith, coming into the room. He was rubbing his eyes sleepily. "I thirsty!"
She raised an eyebrow at Basch before going to him. Basch watched her walk to her son. He took in her disposition as she did so: she was content, pleased. She loved her son and her family. It was all he could have wished for her. She picked her child up and walked back, letting him finish what was left of the water in her glass. "Daddy?" The child asked, laying his head on his mother's shoulder.
"No;" she replied. "Your Uncle. Basch. Remember?" She smiled at Basch. "He's been going on and on about how his father is magic—how he can change from one man to two and heal scars with a mere change of wardrobe. I had much explaining to do."
"I imagine."
"Uncle Botch?"
She laughed. "Goodnight, Leith." She dropped him to the floor. As they watched him waddle of to bed again, she smiled to herself. "When I was pregnant with him, Gabranth just insisted it was a boy. When I asked him why, he said it was because he would name him Leith. I told him if it was a girl we couldn't name her that, and he replied that it would simply have to be a boy because it was all he could come up with for the moment." She glanced at her brother-in-law, beaming all the while.
"I am sorry I missed it."
She put a hand on his shoulder comfortingly. "I as well."
They bade each other goodnight and he left. Gabranth, who was still smiling to himself, dove quickly under the covers so she would never realize that he had been awake and heard every word they had spoken.
--- ---
Nadia came across the landing bay at full speed, running past the other five Judges and straight into Gabranth in ecstasy. He dropped his helmet and reached out just in time to catch her as she jumped up, locking her knees around him. "My Gabranth!" She cried, kissing him squarely on the mouth. "Oh, I've missed you so!"
The other five gazed at them for a moment, shaking their heads in dismay. "Remind me again why we let a young man with a family familiarize himself with this position," Ghis complained.
"Leave them be," Drace replied. "His admiration for her gives him strength."
"And how!" Bergan replied, shaking his head. They vanished into the castle, leaving the two of them alone.
"I have the best news!" She exclaimed, still in his arms.
"I would hear it then." He indulged her, for he hadn't seen her in nearly two months. He had been away on an assignment for quite a while. Sometimes the military took a toll on his poor young wife. She feared for him constantly. The least he could do for her was give her the attention she deserved while he was in their new hometown. He had missed her, besides. He smiled at her, holding her steady against him. It was no challenge, despite that he wore sixty pounds of armor—all save his helmet, which lay just beside him.
"Pick, for there are two," she held out her fists before his face. Since he couldn't let her loose without dropping her, he nodded at the left. "Oh…that's not my favorite!" She complained, still all smiles.
"Then tell me the other, woman!"
"No; you picked the left and you shall have the left! Doctor Cid has invited me to conduct research for his prolonged study of the Occurian race and the Nethicite. I am to begin immediately!"
He set her down then, as he pondered that for a moment. "I make enough gil to care for ten people, much less only the two of us."
"I cannot sit about our home and fret all day, Gabranth. This last year, you are gone often in your position of Judge. I am bored and fearful, and I pace the floors until I'm sure we'll have to replace the carpeting. I wish to stay busy, and mayhap your return will not seem as late."
He nodded. "I suppose he's been taken with you ever since finding your invention in Landis."
"Yes. And…" she held out her right fist.
"Of course, proceed," he replied, taking it in his own hand.
She stared up at him deeply, suddenly turning very serious. "After two weeks of feeling ill and eventually doing something about it, I must inform you, Sir Gabranth…that in the turn of an estimated seven months-- you shall be a father."
--- ---
"Congratulate me, Drace!" Sang out Gabranth as he waltzed through the war-room in full armor. "I am soon to be a father!"
Drace looked up at him in slight shock, as did everyone else present. First a husband, then a father? They knew better than to mention the obvious problems, however, as the last several times had been met with harsh criticism from the Lord Emperor himself. He wanted Gabranth to be a Judge under any circumstances, and there was no changing it. Finally, she melted into a smile behind her helmet. "I am pleased for you," she finally stated. "I am sure the child will bring you much joy."
"But now is not the time to discuss such things," Zecht added from the corner. Everyone listened closely, for Zecht was the most admired of all of them. "As everyone here is well aware, Archades must now spread her wings to avoid the threat of the Rozzarian invasion. Therefore, our necessity is to acquire greater forces."
"We can ask for more applicants into the military," Drace replied. "And if aught else fails, we can instate a draft."
"Perhaps. However, Lord Vayne has something else afoot." Zecht pressed a button on the display before him. A map of Ivalice came into focus in Three-dimensional clarity. "Nabudis, Nabradia, Dalmasca…" He showed them the three major forces that stood between Archades and Dalmasca. "And Nabudis is the beginning."
Gabranth spoke up at that moment. "My Lords, Nabudis is no small nation. Our forces will be hard pressed to defeat them. And even if they do surrender to us, they will not join willingly."
"Prince Rasler is soon to be married to Prince Ashelia B'nargin Dalmasca," Bergen put in. "He is otherwise occupied, as is the case with many men of his kind."
Gabranth looked at him quickly, understanding what he was getting at. "What does that have to do with this?" He shot, offended.
"He is distracted. While he is off celebrating his marriage, it is a perfect time to strike. Besides, we have a new weapon in our grasp. Doctor Cid claims he has found the hidden components to Nethicite."
"I will use this Nethicite to bring the city to our mercy," Zecht put in. "The city will fall, and we will have no barriers to marching on towards Nabradia, and eventually, Dalmasca."
Drace tilted her head to the side, watching Gabranth carefully. "You have a most important part to play as well, Lord Gabranth." She paused, wondering how he would take it. "This plan is laid to be over a series of one year. The Nabudis strike is only a little over six months. That is why we require you to act now."
"What do you mean?"
"The King of Dalmasca, with his border allies defeated, will no doubt wish to sign a treaty of peace with the Archadians," Bergen replied. "So spoke Lord Vayne. However, if the royal heritage were to remain intact, any uprising could lead to a mutual alliance between Dalmasca and Rozzaria. We would be obliterated. We must prevent the Dalmascan heritage from the throne."
"Assassination?" Asked Gabranth, quickly. "Why would you have me do this?"
"The captain of the Dalmascan army—the captain that has survived every battle thus far and will undoubtedly survive the next—is a man by the name of Basch Fon Ronsenburg."
White-hot fire filled Gabranth's veins. He hadn't realized his hatred for his brother was still so great. At times, he had even somehow managed to forget him. With Nadia safe and his people secure, he had never any real reason to wonder of his brother. Now, knowing he was alive and prospering in an enemy nation, sent his blood into heated turmoil. He understood all at once that he hated his brother more than he ever thought possible. "You wish me to kill him."
"No," Came another voice. Everyone turned to see Lord Vayne in the archway. "But he is a constant thorn in my side, and must be dealt with as such. Would you see him have the tragedy he has bestowed on others?"
Gabranth nodded. "My Lord!"
"Undoubtedly he will be there for the peace-signing in some capacity. Though I know not what action he will take as of this moment, my spies are keeping me informed. I want you to look like him. Grow your hair, your beard, fashion for yourself his armor. Should the time be right, I would replace him with you."
"As a spy?" Drace asked in wonder.
"Nay. A capacity far greater."