Sever All Ties

Chapter Twenty One: Something Different

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.

Just from looking at her, Jack could tell that something was wrong with Ridley. It was apparent in the way she moved. She seemed sluggish, her shoulders drooped slightly, and she wore a troubled expression on her face. So, when she sat down across from him, he didn't say anything. She barely acknowledged him before fixing her gaze upon the floor. Jack waited patiently, knowing that she would speak when she was ready. Long moments passed by in silence, as Ridley seemed to be searching for the words to express herself. Once, she opened her mouth as if to speak, but seemed to think better of it. Jack simply waited for her to talk to him. He was anxious to hear what she had to say, but knew that he should wait. Finally, after what seemed to him an eternity, she looked up at him. He found himself momentarily lost in her emerald eyes, but she drew him back to the present by speaking.

"Jack," she began simply. She did not smile as she continued. "Jack, what happened today?"

"When," Jack asked in response.

"You know exactly when," Ridley said, struggling to maintain her composure. This bothered Jack, who did not know what she was referring to.

"I really don't know," Jack said honestly. "You mean when we woke up, or when we fought outside of Radiata, or when we got back, or…"

"When we fought the Triton Squad," Ridley said levelly.

"Well, you fought Dennis," Jack started. "And came through, just like I knew you would. It was great to see you use 'Wild Pitch' again. I can't remember the last time I saw that move. It was great. I fought Alicia. It was a pretty back and forth affair. It was pretty crazy for a while, but she got a little ahead of herself, and that was the end of that."

"No it wasn't," Ridley said. "That's exactly what I want to talk about. You and Alicia."

"What do you mean," Jack asked.

"You know what I mean," said Ridley. Once again, Jack did not know what she meant.

"Ridley, what are you talking about," he asked.

"I want to know what happened between the two of you," Ridley said firmly. "We've fought your old friends before, but you are obviously much closer to her than you were to any of them."

"Alicia was a good friend of mine," Jack said.

"Apparently," Ridley said bitterly. "She seemed to be much more than that."

"What's that supposed to mean," asked Jack.

"It means that she sure seemed to know you pretty well," Ridley replied. "I watched that fight, Jack. She knew your every move before you even made it. You knew her moves before she made them. I want to know the story between the two of you."

"She was a friend, a sparring partner, and went with me on some missions," Jack answered simply. "If we knew each other's moves, it's because we've trained with each other. She's just another one of my friends."

"No," Ridley said. "No she's not. She's more. She has to be more than that, because you let her live. You haven't let anyone live, except her. There's something different about her. There was something different about the way you fought her, and I want to know why that is."

"I let her live because I thought it's what you wanted," Jack said. "If you didn't, what was all that talk about my being to cold and hard? I let her live because you told me I needed to change."

"You would have let her live anyway," said Ridley. "I could see it in you. You wouldn't have killed her. I want to know what made her so special."

"I thought you wanted me to change," Jack said. "I don't know why you keep insisting she's so…"
"Because she is," Ridley cut him off. "You obviously thought she was special. More so than the others from the Warrior Guild. More so than anyone you met while you lived in the town."

"Under the city, there's an extensive sewer system," Jack began. "I went down there to explore and train on more than one occasion. I saw two people down there. One was Chief Elwen, the Leader of Theater Vancoor. The other was Alicia. Not counting me, she's the fourth strongest warrior in the Guild. Both of them were going to the same place, every day at different times. They were visiting a shrine. The Legacy that Alicia talked about is the Legacy of one of her ancestors. A great warrior by the name Alfred. Theater Vancoor is built on top of the crypt where he was buried. He is spoken of as being an incredibly skilled swordsman. And Alicia is his kin. She feels it is her duty to carry on his great Legacy. Chief Elwen does this too, though I'm not entirely sure why. I'm sure there's a good reason. In any case, both saw potential in me to help. So Alicia, who had barely spoken to me before, challenged me to a duel. I defeated her down there in the sewers. Barely, but I did. It took nearly everything in me. I had so many cuts on me after that fight that Bruce wouldn't let me leave the infirmary for two days. But, I never gave up, and got in the decisive blow. Alicia admired my ability to find a way to win, and we formed a bond."

"That's it," Ridley asked.

"Yeah," Jack said. "That's how we met."

"So there's more," Ridley pressed.

"Well sure," Jack said. Ridley's shoulders slumped. "We started training together, and then she started going on missions with me. We worked well together, and complemented one another's strengths. We formed a sort-of bond; it was born of having common interests and a common purpose."

"I see," said Ridley. "So, you are closer to her than anyone else."

"I don't know," Jack replied. "Maybe."

"And that's why you let her live," Ridley said. She seemed angry again. "Because of how close you are to one another."

"Ridley, I…" Jack began.

"Don't try to deny it," Ridley interjected. "You two seemed more than close. Your fight was 'Just like old times', remember?"

"You're taking all of this the wrong way," Jack said. "I don't even know what you're getting at. So I let her live, so what?"

"It's not about what you did," Ridley started. "It's about who you did it to, and why you did it. You let Alicia live because of the bond you two share."

"What happened to telling me I should step away from what I've become," Jack asked.

"You still don't understand, do you," Ridley asked. Jack, of course, did not.

"No," said Jack. "I guess I don't.

"What are your feelings for her," Ridley asked bluntly. "How do you think of Alicia?"

"I, uh…she's a friend," Jack replied. "I don't understand what this has to do with anything."

"Well, you shared some feelings with me earlier today," Ridley answered. "So I thought I'd see if they were spread around or not. How does she feel about you?"

"I don't know," Jack started. "We never talked about each other like that. We usually talked about missions, swords, and things like that. She did teach me a lot about Radiata's history, and about her ancestor, Alfred. He was an incredible man."

"And that's all she talked about," Ridley asked.

"Yeah, that's pretty…much…it," realization washed over Jack as he spoke. "Are you jealous of Alicia?"

"I just didn't know about all of this," Ridley said. Her voice shook a little as she spoke. "It's hitting me all at once, and I don't like it. Especially after what you said this morning."

"Ridley, I…" Jack said. "I don't know what to say. Except that, well, that I meant what I said about you this morning. And that Alicia and I worked together, but that's it. I need you to believe me."

"I don't know right now Jack," Ridley replied. "This has all happened so fast. I just don't know."

"What can I do to prove it to you," Jack asked, earnestly.

"I don't know," Ridley said, rising to her feet. She started for the door. "I don't think we should go on any more missions alone. We need to at least have one more person with us."

"Ridley," Jack called out. She turned around and looked at Jack wistfully. "You've trusted me this far, don't stop now."

Without a word, Ridley walked out of the room. For a moment, Jack simply sat on his bedside, not moving at all. Then, he laid down on his bed again and stared at the ceiling. However, all he saw was Ridley's face. Her hurt expression mocked him, and he jolted to his feet. Pacing the floor, Jack tried to clear his thoughts. He tried to discover what his crime was. Was it being Alicia's friend? Or was it letting her live? He had been honest with Ridley, and she hadn't believed him. He tried to write it off as something she would get over, or let die, but he knew that this wasn't the case. Jack had taken a big step that morning; a step toward Ridley. He couldn't understand why she was reacting this way. True, he hadn't told her about his bond with Alicia, but it hadn't seemed all that special to him. Alicia had been a great friend, but nothing more. So, Jack was left alone to ponder what had just happened, and how it affected his feelings for Ridley. It didn't change the way he felt about her, but meant that he would have to do something to put her at ease. But what could he do? The entire situation made his head hurt just to think about.

Jack decided he needed fresh air. Out of habit, he grabbed his saber as he walked out the door. He was certain that several of the Fort's residents tried to talk to him, but Jack did not pay attention to them. Lost in his own thoughts, he walked past them and out the front gate of the Fort. Absentmindedly, he followed the main road and took a familiar left turn. Walking up the hill, Jack seated himself under the Ressan Tree. Under its limbs, he was always able to think clearly. For a long time, he did nothing but sit and watch the birds flying overhead. After his mind had cleared sufficiently, he began to think about the situation at hand. The last thing he wanted to do was fight with Ridley, so he had to come up with a way to simply talk to her. There had to be a way to make her believe what he was saying. Jack didn't have long to decide on a course of action, because when he looked down the path, he saw Ridley walking toward the tree. Jack wasn't sure what to do, so he stayed seated, not moving. Ridley approached wordlessly, and said nothing when she seated herself next to Jack. Neither of them spoke for quite some time. Once again, it was Ridley who broke the silence.

"I've been thinking," she stated.

"Yeah," Jack said. He waited for her to continue.

"I've been thinking that I don't know what to think," Ridley continued. "What you did today was just strange. You haven't let anyone live since we started down this path. And then, when I found out about you and Alicia, I grew suspicious. I felt jealous, and I started to question the things you said to me. I wondered…I wondered if our positions had been reversed, Alicia's and mine, would you have killed me?"

"Of course not," Jack said. "I wouldn't have even considered it. I, I meant what I said about you this morning, Ridley. And I mean this: I'm with you until the end. No matter what, I only want to be right here by your side. If you believe nothing else, believe that."

"I just…" Ridley began, but stopped short. She nodded her head to Jack before continuing. "I do believe you Jack. It was just, the combination of all those things, it made me doubt you. But, I do trust you."

"That means a lot to me," Jack said, smiling earnestly. When he looked up, he saw that the sun was well on its way to setting. "Hey, let's get back to the Fort before we miss dinner."

"Yes, what would we do if we missed dinner," Ridley said sarcastically. When she looked at him, she saw that Jack had offered his hand to help her up. Ridley took it, allowing his assistance. And, if she held it a little longer than necessary, she told herself that she was making sure she had her balance.

The two of them strode back to the Fort, and reached their destination just as the sun sank down below its walls. When they got inside, Ridley left Jack to go to her room. He, in turn, went to his. There was still a little time before dinner, especially considering that the guest of honor had yet to arrive. Sitting in his room, Jack was, once again, lost in thought. Fortunately, his thoughts were much more light-hearted than they had been all day. Gone were thoughts of war and strategy. Gone were thoughts of friends and death. Jack's thoughts centered on Ridley. She trusted him. She believed in him. He felt ecstatic. Looking in the small mirror that he had, Jack was aware of how ridiculous the grin he wore looked. But, he also knew that he didn't care. He had won back Ridley's confidence, and that made everything all right. Finally, the time for dinner arrived, and he rose to leave. Instinctively, he grabbed his saber on the way out the door.

When Jack arrived in the common area of the Fort, he found that he was a little late. Nearly everyone was already seated. Only he, Ridley, Parsec, and Gil were absent. Jack took a seat across from Gawain, and next to Mikey. He made sure to save a seat for Ridley. Jack soon found himself engrossed in Gawain and Mikey's conversation, which dealt with the origins of elf magic. Both seemed to be mostly speculating based on something they had seen, heard, or read. Neither knew the magic's true origin, and both doubted that there was anyone living who did. As the conversation continued, Jack looked up to see Ridley entering the room. Once again, he felt happiness swelling inside of him. It started in his heart, and spread to the rest of his body as she drew closer. Jack motioned for her to come sit next to him. As she got closer, he realized that she did not look good. She wavered as she walked, and her face was pale. Worse, her eyes looked hollow."

"Ridley, are you okay," Jack asked, rising to his feet.

"Jack…"Ridley's voice seemed empty as she fell forward. Jack caught her deftly as she fell, cradling her in his arms. "Sir Gawain, help!"

Vegeta26: How do you like that? I actually posted two chapters on the same day! Aren't you all lucky? Don't think this is going to be a regular thing, though. I just had to write this chapter, though. I was planning on doing a chapter to showcase Jack's closeness to one of the characters from Vancoor, but it never felt right. This chapter pretty much wrote itself, and I thought it tied in well with Jack's changing feelings for Ridley, and her uncertainty as he tries to confess them. I don't know if I really like it, but there it is.