Chapter 4-Return to Guadosalam
Twelve years have passed since Seymour was taken in by his Mother's family. During that time he enjoyed the remaining time with his mother on the paradise like island. When the time came for Anima, Meena upheld her promise and took them to Zanarkand, there Anima gave herself to Yunalesca to become a fayth. Seymour and Meena both missed his Mother bitterly and Meena took Seymour as her own son and raised him, giving him all the love she had. Seymour trained and excelled in his studies, he became a powerful summoner and wielder of black magic and returned to Zanarkand once again to finally receive the fayth of his Mother.
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Upon Seymour's return to the island from Zanarkand, Meena had received a letter for him from his Father Lord Jyscal, asking for his return to Guadosalam as things had finally changed for the better. Meena, keeping her word to her sister packed her things and left with Seymour for the Guado homeland. Their journey was fraught with danger and fiends along the way. Protecting himself and his Aunt, Seymour easily defeated any dangers that threatened them with his over powered magic.
They entered the great city of Guadosalam, Meena felt afraid as they descended downwards into the huge tree. Seymour looked over slightly at her sensing her fear.
"Don't worry." He said quickly.
Meena swallowed and tried her best to be confident in a place where she was the one who would be considered different. She wondered to herself how Anima had conducted herself here years ago. Seymour was the picture of confidence, walking through the halls as if he had lived there all along his whole life, he had his head held high as a full Guado. Meena felt proud of him, he had grown into a fine man.
They passed a Guado couple in the hall, which stopped as if they had seen two ghosts. Meena observed them with wide eyes, they were much like her nephew but there were some slight differences. They all had very elven like ears, some of them walked hunched over as if the weight of their arms was too much. Their hair styles were random and wild. They walked further and more Guado spied them, the people started clamoring and running around as if in a panic. They reached a large red door as a Guado rushed out to meet them, his hair was green the normal Guado branch like growths on it he had also had a beard with similar growths in it. His fine clothing suggested that he was a man of importance. The Guado bowed to them excitedly.
"Please, come in quickly." He said with a rather distinguished accent. He waved them inside excitedly as if the whole place was on fire. They entered a waiting room which must've been the entrance to Seymour's Fathers house. The Guado who showed them in ran off as soon as they entered, soon a figure appeared at the top of the stairs, it was another Guado his hair was different in that the branches were more numerous and grew upwards in a twisting fashion, they reminded Meena slightly of Seymour's hair. He walked to them gripping a cane delicately with his long hands his footsteps echoing in the silence.
"Lord Jyscal." Seymour whispered to Meena. "My Father…"
So this was the Lord Jyscal she had heard so much about.
"Could it be?" Jyscal said looking at them as if he didn't believe they were real.
His eyes turned to Meena and locked with hers. He smiled at her very warmly and walked over to her. He put his hands on her shoulders. Meena was surprised by his interest in seeing her as she thought his returning son Seymour would have his attention. She looked up at him nervously and then to her surprise he bent down and kissed her. Meena was shocked and pulled away from him blushing madly. Seymour placed his hand on Meena's shoulder protectively and gave Jyscal a confused look.
Jyscal looked at Meena sadly and said.
"I…I'm so glad to see you again, I thought I may not." The tall Guado said placing his elongated hand over his heart sincerely.
Meena gasped in surprise, Jyscal thought that she was Anima!
"Please, Lord Jyscal," She said trying to not stumble as she spoke. "I am not Lady Anima, I am her sister Meena, your sister-in-law." She said nervously.
"What? Oh! Oh my!" he said holding his hand over his face. "Please accept my sincerest apologies! You look so much like her." He said stumbling in his words feeling more than embarrassed at his mistake.
"It… is alright Lord Jyscal, I can understand your mistake. We have always been told we look alike." She said still blushing.
There was a quiet moment as Jyscal tried to regain his composure from his embarrassing moment. He looked to Seymour and stared at him for a long moment. Suddenly he looked as if he might cry.
"Seymour, my son." He said looking at him with lost eyes. "I have missed you so." He said reaching out to him. Jyscal hugged his son but as Meena watched Seymour's arms remained at his side, not returning his Father's affections. He remained silent.
"Tell me," Jyscal said releasing Seymour. "Did Anima fall to her illness? I have not seen her soul on the farplane." he asked. Seymour still said nothing but stared at his Father. Meena looked at them both. Seymour's silence to his Father's question made her grow nervous. Meena touched Seymour's arm gently and looked at him then at Jyscal.
"Anima, at her end, gave her life to become a fayth." Meena said filling the void of Jyscal's unanswered question. Jyscal stared at her and then back at Seymour.
"A fayth," he muttered to himself lowering his eyes. "Her love for Seymour was bottomless, there was nothing she would not do for him…she must be…the most powerful Aeon in all of Spira." He said slowly to himself marveling. "Where is her statue?" he asked turning to Seymour.
"Hidden away from all of Spira." Seymour said simply in defiance to his Father.
"I would like to visit her, one last time." He said with a desperate tone in his voice.
"Don't worry Father, I put her in a place you might be familiar with." Seymour said darkly.
"You put her in Baaj temple didn't you?" he said reading his sons dissent.
Seymour nodded at his Father's guess with a smirk on his face. Meena felt slightly frustrated at the reunion of Father and son, she had hoped it would be nicer. This was not the Seymour she knew, not the gentle kind Guado whom she held in her arms as she would her own child.
Lord Jyscal clenched his lower lip in disappointment and sighed as his black eyes looked over Seymour one more time.
"You have grown into a marvelous young man, any Father would be very proud of you, and I am no exception. I am sure all of Spira will become unified with your help."
"Of course." Seymour's simple response came.
"Where are my manners, we must get you settled. Eh, Meena?" he said to her still sounding slightly embarrassed. "I assume since you made the trek here without someone to escort you back that you were planning on living here in Guadosalam. As family you are welcome of course." He said smiling.
"As a matter of fact I was planning on staying here, I promised Anima that when Seymour would return here I would go with him." She turned to Seymour not wanting him to be embarrassed by her and added. "Not that an accomplished young man as Seymour would need me, but as an act of family."
Seymour laughed slightly at Meena's gesture.
"That is heartwarming that you would want to be with your nephew Meena. Here now let me get Trommel and he can settle you in. Trommel!" He called out.
The green haired Guado reappeared at the top of the stairs that had shown them in the manor. He looked down at them as he came down the stairs.
"Ah Master Jyscal, the family has been reunited at last! Such a heartwarming sight! I have made all the arrangements." he said joyously holding his long hands up.
Jyscal leaned on his cane slightly looking up at Trommel.
"Eh, Trommel?" he said as the Guado ended his trek down the staircase and came towards them.
"Yes Master? Have I forgotten something?" he said stopping to think to himself.
"No, Trommel you haven't forgotten anything. But this lady here is not who you think she is." He said gesturing to Meena. Meena turned and bowed to him respectfully.
"It is not lady Anima?" Trommel asked in disbelief. A look of worry came over his face.
"No, Trommel. This is Lady Anima's sister, Meena. She has come here with Seymour to stay."
Trommel looked down sadly as if feeling his own Masters pain at the failure of the return of Lady Anima. "Oh dear," he said putting a hand to his face. He looked up quickly. "Lady Meena, my dear, I apologize, I am saddened by this news, I am not saddened to see you here." He said politely.
"We are pleased to see you both here. My apologies again Lady Meena, there will be a slight delay in getting you settled, when I first saw you I thought you were Lady Anima, I assumed you would be staying with Lord Jyscal. We will have to rearrange our plans."
"Trommel?" Seymour said as he was just about to leave.
"Yes Master Seymour?" he said eager to serve.
"Keep my Aunt close by to me." Seymour said gesturing to Meena.
"Why of course!" Trommel said with a delighted tone as he hurried off.
Meena looked at Seymour and grabbed his arm.
"Seymour, you did not have to do that, I would be fine anywhere they put me."
"Aunt Meena, I know that you feel scared and out of place here, I can smell it on you heavily. Besides, I would like to have you near, you have always faithfully been there for me." He said to her tenderly.
After a short wait both Seymour and Meena had been shown to their own rooms, as Seymour requested Meena's room was across the hall from his. Meena felt comforted by this as she did feel alone in this new place.
As the evening came Meena left her room to explore the halls of Guadosalam. It was just as her sister had described it to her, the whole city living, being made up of one giant tree. The floor beneath her feet was carpeted in a soft moss and the walls were grainy and crackled as a tree trunk would be. She soon found her way into what looked like a cafeteria. She didn't see anyone in the kitchen but she spied a few figures sitting at small tables scattered throughout the room. One she recognized as Trommel from earlier, he was sitting quietly by himself sipping on a small cup of tea. The cup looked infinitely tiny within his long hands and fingers. She decided to go over and say hello.
She walked up in front of him slowly. Trommel looked up to see her and smiled.
"Lady Meena, is there anything that you need?" he said starting to get up from the table.
"Um, no, please sit, I didn't mean for you to get up." She said shyly. "I don't want to disturb you but I thought perhaps we might be able to talk, if that is alright with you." Meena knew she was terrible with her social skill with people she didn't know well.
"My Lady of course, I would love to talk with you." Trommel said in his wonderful accent. Trommel got up like a true gentleman and pulled a chair out for Meena to sit.
"Thank you." Meena sat down watched as Trommel reseated himself.
"So do you like the room you have been given?" Trommel asked her curiously.
"O yes, it's very nice. It's much different than at home, like staying at a mansion, which...I guess is what it is." They both laughed.
"I am glad I could come here with Seymour." She said sincerely.
"The bond you share must be special." Trommel commented.
"I love Seymour as if he is my own son. When Anima passed I took him into my care and I raised him."
"That must've been hard for you I'm sure." Trommel said sympathetically.
"It was trying yes, but I had no complaint, I felt honored to be able to do it for my sister. I put my entire life aside to focus all my energy on Seymour."
"One time he even…" she said trailing off. "he called me Mother. I hope I have done well for him in his Mother's absence."
"He has turned out to be a splendid young man thanks to you, the Guado have a shining new gem in the crown of Guadosalam we are all proud of. He shall make a great leader to us someday."
Meena frowned, remembering the emotional scars on Seymour, from being rejected by his own people when he was a child. For the longest time he thought he was hideous, she remembered when she met him for the first time and said he was beautiful how he looked at her in shock.
"I know what you are thinking, and yes they were terrible to him. I was even not the friendliest at first to him, but as I watched him grow in the Manor I came to love him."
"How could you, how could you put a helpless woman and child onto an island that is a cold wasteland?" she said angrily to him.
"It was terrible, but at the time the people were revolting so badly that threats were coming that the people would kill Anima and Seymour. Lord Jyscal could not keep them here, it simply wasn't safe, and no human village that he had known of at the time would've been safe for them either. Baaj was simply the only place he knew of to put them to be safe." Trommel explained to her. "I was glad though, when I heard the news that Lady Anima's family had come and taken her off of Baaj and into their care. Lord Jyscal was very glad to hear also, as he had not even been able to think straight in his affairs here because of his worry for his wife and son."
Meena looked down guiltily.
"I may have been wrong to judge him." She said while looking down at the table.
"Lord Jyscal has worked tirelessly to change the attitude of the Guado so that his son may be accepted here. He loves his family." Trommel said stretching his hand out to her. Meena patted his hand gently.
"Thank you for talking with me Trommel." She said gently. "I am going to go back up to my room now to rest."
"The pleasure was all mine," he said respectfully standing up as Meena got up from the table. "I am glad we could talk. Don't hesitate to call for me if you need me, whatever the reason may be." He said bowing to her.
Meena smiled at Trommel, he was so nice to her and respectful, a true formal gentleman.
Meena made her way back through the wooden halls back to the Manor and its large red door. As she entered and walked down the hallway towards her room she heard the sound of sobbing. She stopped as she neared the closed door of where it was coming from. She felt terrible at the sound of it, it was a man's voice she heard inside. She felt rude in doing so, but she opened the door very quietly to the room and peered in. Inside she saw the hunched over figure of Lord Jyscal sitting on the side of his bed weeping. At first, startled by the sight she pulled away from the door as if to leave, but then as her compassion inside her swelled she came closer. She entered his room and walked up behind him silently. His sobs stabbed at her heart like knives as she heard them. Gently she placed her hand upon his shoulder. Startled, Lord Jyscal jumped and turned quickly looking at her. His black eyes were reddened and moist with tears. This close to him she could see the beautifully patterned veins on his face. Meena's instinct to comfort was strong even though he was practically a stranger to her and she sat down next to him, and placed her arm around him in an effort to console him.
"Jyscal, what is it that bothers you?" she said not realizing she had forgotten to address him as Lord.
Jyscal sniffled and covered his face with his hand as if ashamed of his weeping.
"You are mourning for Anima aren't you?" she asked him intuitively. Jyscal nodded silently as more tears fell from his eyes. Meena held him tightly in her arms. "I miss her too." She said starting to tear up. Meena had had a long time to heal from the loss of her sister, but Lord Jyscal was just now starting to mourn for her. It must've been especially hard for him when he thought his prayers for her returning were answered when Meena came and he mistaken her for his wife. They sat together for a while, Jyscal never protesting his sister-in-laws presence as he wept. Gently she rubbed his back and hummed for him quietly the song of the Fayth as the tears just kept falling from him until the whole front of his robe and his beard were tear stained. She spied a portrait of Anima on his nightstand as she looked around the room he had probably put it there to comfort him in her long absence.
Finally Jyscal looked up at her. He took her hand and kissed it gently then held her hand within his long clawed hands.
"You have no idea how much I appreciate your compassion. Thank you Meena." He said blinking his tear-soaked eyes.
"I am aware it was rude for me to come in here. I felt compelled to comfort you, you sounded so upset. I hope I was not a bother to you." She said apologetically.
"No Meena, you were the best possible person to have come to me. Thank you for sitting with me it was very gracious of you to do that for me. I apologize for my appearance to you it is improper for you to see me in this state." He said embarrassed at his crying in front of her.
"No need to apologize Jyscal…oh I mean Lord Jyscal." She said remembering his title.
"There is no need to call me that, it is fine for you to call me Jyscal if you wish." He said standing up.
Meena smiled and hugged him, patting him on the back. Jyscal reeled slightly surprised by her doing so but then put his long arms around her and hugged her back gently.
"Will you be alright?" she asked looking up at him.
"I shall be fine for now, thank you." He replied.
Meena bid him goodnight and left to her room. She was glad that she had gone in to comfort Jyscal instead of running away. She knew it must be so hard for him, he must miss his wife so much. It pained her to think of it. Her whole concept of Jyscal had changed at first she thought of him as a cold and unloving man who had abandoned his wife and child. But now she realized that he had done the best he could for them, and he did love them very much.
She arrived at her door in the hallway, she glanced quickly across the hall at Seymour's door, he was probably fast asleep by now. She opened her door and entered her room. She prepared for bed and then finally pulled the covers over her and welcomed sleep.