Sever All Ties

Chapter Eleven: Trust

Disclaimer: I don't own Radiata Stories or any of the characters in the game; they are the property of the brilliant minds at Square Enix.

Author's Note(s): Words in '…' indicate a thought. Words in "…" indicate spoken words. This story will proceed based on the assumption that Jack has joined Ridley on the path of the non-human. This path would inevitably lead him to face his former friends and allies in combat. It is these fights I will illustrate in this story. Some creative liberties will be taken regarding who they face (i.e. Jack will face opponents in this fic that you don't get to face in the game). I hope you enjoy.

When Jack awoke, he was laying on his back inside his tent. He sat up instantly, and looked around. The first thing he did was reach for his sword, which was sitting next to him. Looking outside, he found a fire blazing warmly. It was night time, about 8:00. He stood up, and winced as he put his weight on his left leg. Looking down, he found a bandage wrapped around the pointura bite. He was also conscious of the fact that he couldn't feel the poison anymore. Stepping outside, he saw that he was facing the entrance to the goblin cemetery. Everything looked as it had the last time he had been there. Hearing footsteps behind him, Jack slowly dropped his hand to the hilt of his saber. He turned and was relieved to see Ridley standing at the edge of the trees, holding wood for the fire. Upon seeing him, she dropped the sticks and strode toward him.

"Jack," she said anxiously. "Are you okay? You shouldn't be up and around yet."

"I'm fine," he replied. "What about you?"

"Fabulous," Ridley said, dryly.

"Good," Jack said. He walked over to the fire and seated himself. Ridley followed suit.

They sat silently next to each other for several long moments. Jack's eyes were constantly shifting, watching the wooded areas all around their campsite. They were not likely to be attacked at night, but he wouldn't risk it. Ridley looked only at the boy sitting next to her. He seemed to have recovered from his injury, but she didn't want him to push himself too hard and be hurt.

"That was pretty stupid of you," she said. "Going and getting yourself hurt like that."

"Was it," Jack asked.

"Yes," Ridley said.

"Why do you say that," asked Jack.

"You could have died," Ridley answered.

"I know," Jack said simply.

"What do you mean 'I know,'" Ridley asked hotly.

"I understand that being with you means I could die," Jack replied.

"It's not that simple Jack," said Ridley.

"Why not," he asked. "I'm willing to risk my life for you. I was trying to help you."

"But it didn't work," Ridley exclaimed. "And what's worse, I didn't even need your help."

Jack was stunned. For a moment, he could do nothing but stare at Ridley. Her words were confusing, and unsettling. After talking so much about how much help he was, she now said she didn't need him? All of his actions since leaving Radiata were suddenly cast in a different light. Sir Gawain had been right. He had been fighting for Ridley. Now, everything he had done seemed foolish. All of the battles he had been in seemed meaningless. Without Ridley, he had no reason to be in the situation he was. Ridley seemed to realize the affect her words had had, for she spoke again.

"That came out wrong," Ridley said softly. "That's not what I meant."

"Then what did you mean," Jack asked angrily.

"I meant that…" Ridley began. She paused a moment before continuing. When she finally spoke, her voice was softer. "Jack…I need you. I need you for all of this journey. You can't throw your life away now. I know you're willing to do anything for me, but you need to understand that there are times when I can handle myself. As much as I need your strength, I need your trust even more."

"I do trust you," Jack insisted.

"No you don't," Ridley said. "If you did, you'd recognize that your help isn't always needed. There are situations where I don't need your assistance. In times like those, I need you to trust that I can hold my own. Especially like this last battle. Your single-minded concern for me nearly got you killed."

"I…" Jack started.

"And if you die," Ridley said, holding up her finger to silence him. "I don't know what I'll do."

"I'm not going anywhere," Jack said, his voice softening. "I promise."

"I hope not," said Ridley.

Silence fell over them once more. Jack was left to contemplate Ridley's words, while Ridley wondered if she had phrased them right. Jack thought he could understand what she was asking of him. He knew how frustrating it was to be underestimated. After joining the knights, and later Vancoor, Jack had had to prove his strength to everyone around him. He had grown stronger, and wanted to be recognized. It had never occurred to him that he could be doing the same thing to Ridley. He silently resolved to do as Ridley asked, and give her the chance to defend herself.

Ridley was uncertain whether she had expressed herself correctly. She knew how sensitive Jack was when it came to her safety. She had not exactly told him what he wanted to hear, but he needed to understand that she could look out for herself. And she certainly had not been lying when she had said she needed him. She knew that she would need his help, but it went even further than that. She was the reason that Jack had decided to leave Radiata, and if he died, it would be because of her. He couldn't die, she wouldn't let him.

Finally, they both turned their thoughts to dinner. The fire before them had a pot on it that contained some of the black goblin Polpo's soup. Jack got up and walked over to it. He dished up some of the soup for Ridley, and then for himself. As he ate the soup, Jack did his best to focus only on its excellent taste, and not on the things that had gone into it. The silence continued all through dinner, before Jack finally decided to speak.

"Hey, Ridley," he said.

"Yes," she responded.

"I've been thinking about what you said," Jack began. He slid closer to Ridley. "And you're right. During my time at the knights, and for most of my time at the warrior's guild, everyone treated my like a weakling. The knight captains and guild members all thought of me as incompetent and unable to fend for myself. Then, I finally proved myself and got promoted to sergeant in the guild. The problem is that, without knowing it, I turned into the thing the thing I hated the most. Since leaving Radiata, I've treated you the same way, not letting you use the skills you have. I'm sorry Ridley. From now on, things will be different. We're going to make it through this, and we're going to do it because we worked together."

"Thank you Jack," sighed Ridley. "That's all I wanted. And if we work together, we have a better chance of succeeding. So, I guess we'll head into this cemetery tomorrow."

"Sounds like a plan," Jack said. "In the meantime, we should get some sleep."

"Agreed," Ridley said with a nod. Both stood up and turned.

"So, uh…" Jack stammered.

"Yes," Ridley replied.

"There's only one tent," Jack said, coloring slightly.

"Don't get any ideas," Ridley said with a smile. "You're going to sleep, and I'll stand watch."

"What," Jack asked.

"You need to rest," Ridley said firmly. "And someone has to make sure we aren't attacked in the night."

"I can take a shift," said Jack. "I'm not that weak. Besides, you need sleep too."
"I'll be all right," Ridley replied. "You need rest more than I do."

"But…" Jack began.

"No buts," Ridley said, pushing him toward the tent. "Go."

"All right," Jack said in a defeated tone. However, when he looked over his shoulder at Ridley, he was smiling mischievously. She shook her head.

After the tent flap had shut, Ridley sat down and made herself comfortable. She had a long night ahead. For a while, she did nothing but look at the fire. She simply stared at the flames. Ridley was pleasantly surprised at how relaxing this was. She watched the fire, without thinking about anything. Her mind was free of thoughts of war, and death, and transpiritation. It was a wonderful, relaxing feeling that she hadn't had in quite some time.

But it couldn't last. Soon, her thoughts inevitably turned to the war that would be upon them soon. She could no longer pretend that war would not happen. She knew too much about Lord Larks, General Dynas, and Cross to believe anything else. Lord Larks would attack in response to perceived danger. She doubted Lord Larks would attack first, but she also knew that he would not hesitate to fight if they were attacked. And the elves had certainly made it clear that they were ready to fight. Cross would, of course, tell everyone that fighting should be the first course of action to consider. He was headstrong and foolhardy. General Dynas appeared to be her only hope. The General had always been very levelheaded, and thought twice before allowing violence to take place. The problem was that General Dynas seemed outnumbered. If both Lord Larks and Cross spoke for war, then it was highly likely that they would have it. This thought made her shudder. Soon, the fighting would begin again.

Thoughts of fighting brought her back to the realization that she would have to face her fellow comrades in battle once more. Once again, she was left to contemplate whether or not she could actually fight against the Radiata Knights. Jack had managed to face his friends, but she had not been able to do the same. This was one area where his help would definitely be necessary. Ridley recognized the truth in Jack's words, and acknowledged that there was no alternative to fighting against them.

'But there's a difference between knowing it must be done and actually doing it,' Ridley thought to herself.

The rest of the Ridley's watch dragged by very slowly. She never wavered in her lonely vigil, but remained committed throughout the night. She was continually plagued by thoughts of the inevitable war between the humans and non-humans, as well as questioning her own role in the conflict. Ridley could not help but believe that the transpiritation ritual had somehow linked her to the battle in some deeper way then anyone else. She was worried by the fact that she continued to feel the presence of the light elf Hap. There were too many things liking her to the non-humans' cause to write them all off as coincidental.

Even had she not been keeping watch, Ridley doubted that she would have been able to sleep that night. As a result, she was extremely thankful when six o'clock came around, and she saw the sun beginning to rise over the horizon. Hurriedly, she put more wood on the dying fire, bringing it back to life. Minutes later, Jack emerged from his tent and began packing it up. When he had finished, he joined her at the fire. Jack's smile was as warm and encouraging as ever, instilling Ridley with a sense of confidence.

"Good morning," Jack said cheerily.

"Feeling better," asked Ridley.

"Feeling great," Jack replied. "And ready to go get that book. How about you?"

"Of course," Ridley said.

Rising, both walked to the entrance to the goblin cemetery. Giving Ridley one last grin, Jack started down the ladder. The young girl behind him followed immediately. When they reached the bottom, Jack turned to face the one path that led further into the tomb. Easing his sword in its scabbard, Jack took the lead.

"Stay behind me and keep your eyes open," Jack said. "The creatures in here will come out of nowhere."

Ridley nodded, and the two walked forward into the dark of the goblin tomb.

Vegeta26: Well, that's eleven chapters done, and things are getting even more intense. Sorry this chapter was a little short, but I've been kind of pressed for time. Anyway, hope everyone's still enjoying it. Let me know what you think.

Blue Persuasion: As always, thanks for the review. It's going to be extremely important for Jack and Ridley to work together as the story goes on. The trust they are establishing now is going to be crucial.