Sever All Ties
Chapter Thirty Six: Hearts
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.
Though he looked calm on the surface, Jack's heart and mind seemed to be racing against each other as he made his way toward the Ressan Tree. The faster thoughts came into his mind, the faster his heart beat, until he wasn't sure he could take it anymore. But, he continued to put one foot in front of the other, making his way to the meeting place. He had been shocked to find the letter from Ridley on his bed, asking to speak to him again. Though the attack by Cross and the Radiata Knights had prevented Jack from leaving that day, he had still intended to leave Fort Helencia. Now, walking toward the Ressan Tree, he had no idea what he intended to do. He wasn't sure what Ridley would say to him, but knew that it would have an affect on the decision he was facing. Unconsciously, Jack sped up his walking as his destination came into view. Following the winding road, he made his way up the hill until the Ressan Tree came into view. It was a moment before he saw Ridley, sitting under the tree on the left. He hesitated only for a moment, and then continued toward the tree and the girl sitting under it. Jack stopped only three steps away from Ridley. Each watched the other silently for several long moments before Ridley broke the silence.
"So you came," she seemed pleasantly surprised.
"Of course I came," Jack replied.
"I'm glad," Ridley said with a soft sigh.
"So, you wanted to talk," Jack asked tentatively.
"Yes, but sit down first," Ridley answered, gesturing to the ground next to her.
Jack did as he was instructed and sat down next to Ridley. As he sat down, Jack saw how close his hand was to Ridley's. His heart skipped a beat, and he quickly moved his hand away so that they wouldn't touch. When he saw that Ridley was looking away from him, Jack turned his head away from her. The two spent several long minutes staring up into the night sky, gathering their thoughts. Finally, Ridley turned to look at Jack. When he saw her gaze, he turned and looked at her. She was afraid to speak, but knew she had to. After taking a deep breath, she spoke.
"Jack, Tottaus won't last much longer," she said. "The imbalance has grown too great. The arrogance of the humans, the negligence of the non-humans, it's all become too much for our world to take. I don't know if he's realized it, but Lord Zane has become infected with Algandars."
"What," Jack exclaimed. "Lord Zane?"
"The imbalance is too great," Ridley repeated. "The imbalance in the world and in the cosmos, that is the source of the Algandars plague."
"I still don't really get this whole philosophy thing," Jack said sheepishly.
"It's become very clear to me," Ridley replied, her voice growing quiet. "The light elf inside me has shown me the truth, whether I wanted to see or not. After receiving the transpiritation, my destiny changed. I had to become the arbitrator of order for the world. That ritual set my course, made me the vessel for the gold dragon."
"Arbitrator, vessel," Jack said in a confused tone.
"I had already decided to go and face my destiny," Ridley continued. Her heart was overcome by sorrow. "But, before I went, I had to know that I was still human. I needed to know that I hadn't completely lost my humanity."
"I don't really get it," Jack began. He could hear the apprehension in her voice. "I mean, whatever happens, you'll always be Ridley, right?"
"That's my Jack," Ridley said with a giggle. The sorrow lifted ever so slightly.
"If you say so," Jack said, still sounding confused. "It still doesn't make much sense."
"It's just talk," Ridley said contentedly. She started to stand, but appeared to decide against it and sat down once more. Silence resumed, with both lost in contemplation.
'It's time to go,' Ridley thought to herself. 'It doesn't matter how I feel about Jack, or how he feels about me. We can't be together. Staying will only make things harder.'
'Tell her,' Jack tried to will himself to speak. 'This is your chance to tell her how you feel.'
Neither acted on the impulse in their mind, and so the silent stalemate continued. In Ridley's case, the failure to act stemmed from a lack of desire. As much as she knew that she should leave, she had no desire to; she wanted to stay with Jack, but she also knew that there was no way for that to happen. She had already decided to fulfill her destiny, and this meant she needed to leave. In Jack's case, he was simply dumbfounded. As easily as combat came to him, he had no idea how to talk to Ridley about his feelings. His uneasiness was compounded by the difficulties the two of them had been having over the last few days. Neither spoke as they stared up at the clear, starry sky. While the two of them sat quietly, the wind picked up slightly; Ridley's shiver brought Jack's attention back to her. Her emerald eyes shone in the moonlight, and he again found himself stricken by her beauty. Momentarily emboldened, he cleared his throat and turned to face Ridley and speak.
"Ridley," he began. "There's something I need to talk to you about."
"What is it," Ridley asked, looking toward him. As he began to speak again, she shivered in the breeze.
"Is it too cold? Do you want to go back to the Fort," Jack asked.
"No, I'm just a little cold," Ridley answered. "What did you want to talk about?"
"You and me," Jack was terrified inside, but managed to hold his voice steady.
"What…what about you and me," Ridley seemed surprised as she spoke, and her heart began to beat faster.
"This war has made me think about a lot of things, said Jack. "And I'm wondering what's going to happen to you and me when it's over."
"Well, I…" Ridley wasn't sure what to say.
"I don't have any idea how this is going to turn out," Jack said. "But I do know that I don't want to lose you."
"Jack," Ridley said softly. Each began to muse on what the other had said, or had not said.
'She didn't really say anything,' Jack's heart sank somewhat. 'Does she not care about me after all?'
'It's not fair,' Ridley thought to herself. 'This is what I want, but I can't have it.'
"You haven't lost me yet, you know," Ridley said, breaking the silence.
"I know," Jack replied. "It just feels like we've been pulled apart by, well, everything."
"I know, believe me I do; and, I don't want to lose you either," Ridley was trying to maintain her composure as she spoke. When she finished speaking, the wind picked up and she shivered again.
"Looks like we need to get back to the Fort where it's warmer," Jack said, starting to rise.
"No," Ridley practically shouted. He hand reached out and clasped Jack's. He was stunned by this outburst, but didn't resist as she pulled him back down to where he had been sitting.
"Ridley," Jack began.
"I just want to stay here with you," Ridley said softly.
"Okay," Jack said nodding his head. "But, what if you get cold?"
"Well, then you'll just have to warm me up," Ridley said with a smile.
She put her arms around Jack, and smiled as his arms wrapped comfortably around her. His warmth worked its way through her, and she sank into him. Jack couldn't believe what was happening. He was finally holding Ridley in his arms. He gave her a gentle squeeze that was almost meant to determine whether or not he was dreaming. Her smile and intoxicating scent told him that this wasn't a dream. She sighed comfortably and closed her eyes. Jack leaned back against the trunk of the Ressan Tree and smiled. Pressed closed to her, Jack could feel the beating of Ridley's heart. As the night wore on, boy and girl held onto each other as a safeguard against the chill. Neither wanted to return to the Fort and the realities that it held. Eventually, Ridley dozed and fell asleep. Jack smiled at the rhythmic rise and fall of her chest as she breathed in and out. Softly stroking her hair, he couldn't help but remark how content she looked. It was while he was thinking about this that he, too, fell asleep.
Ridley's eyes fluttered open at the touch of a hand on her arm. She looked up and saw Gawain Rothschild staring back at her. It was early morning and, though the sun had yet to rise, Gawain was carrying traveling gear. Two sets of traveling gear. His eyes met Ridley's, and the gaze she found was full of sadness and understanding. Ridley felt as though her heart was being torn apart. She knew why Gawain had come to her. It was time to leave for the final time. It was time for her to fulfill her destiny. It was time to leave Jack. Ridley nodded her head to indicate that she understood, then motioned for Gawain to step away and giver her a moment; he said nothing, but silently stepped away. Ridley sighed sorrowfully and began to gently disentangle herself. Jack was such a deep sleeper that he didn't wake up as she separated herself from him. Kneeling in the grass, she stared longingly at Jack, trying to take in every detail. She smiled wistfully as she touched Jack's face.
"Jack, I'm so sorry," she said, standing up. Tears began forming in her eyes as she continued. "I wish things could have been different. But, I have a destiny."
When she approached Gawain, he turned wordlessly to walk down the road; Ridley simply followed. They were making there way back to Fort Helencia, where the Journey Pig would take them to the End of the World. Tears were running down Ridley's face as she walked, and she wanted nothing more than to turn around and run back to the boy sleeping under the tree. Instead, she continued to walk down the path to the Fort. Everything seemed so much more distinct to Ridley. She noticed things she had never seen before, like the flowers growing along the fence running parallel to the path, and the smell of the morning air. As they approached the Fort, Gawain spoke softly to Ridley.
"I said something to Jack Russell once," Gawain said slowly. He knew all too well the pain that Ridley was experiencing. His own heart ached for her. "After you returned from Algandars Castle, I talked to him about fighting his old friends from Radiata. I said the same thing I would say to you now: the knowledge that you've made the right choice doesn't make it any easier. I'm so sorry for what has to happen, Ridley. The burden that has been placed upon you is unfair, but you are doing the right thing."
"I know," Ridley said through her tears. "I've known that all along. I shouldn't have been so weak."
"No," Gawain said, shaking his head. "There is nothing wrong with you and Jack sharing your feelings."
"It should have lasted," Ridley said bitterly.
"Unfortunately, things that should last don't always," Gawain said hollowly, thinking of his own losses.
It was early enough that no one was awake, and so they passed no one walking through the Fort. Ridley and Gawain were silent as they passed through the stone corridors. When they reached the other side, the two walked out into the courtyard. Gawain strode calmly toward the Journey Pig, but Ridley hesitated. While the older man was standing within arm's reach of the statue, the young girl had turned back to look toward the Fort that had been her home, the non-humans that had been her friends, and the swordsman that had been her protection. Her heart threatened to break as she tried to come up with a reason to stay. In the end, she turned around and joined Gawain. When Ridley's hand touched the Journey Pig, she and Gawain disappeared.
"Ridley," Jack shouted. "Ridley, where are you?"
Jack was frantic; he had awoken and been unable to find Ridley. He had searched all around the Ressan Tree and could find her. He sprinted back to Fort Helencia, anxious to find out what had happened to the golden haired girl that he cared so much for. As he ran through the Fort, he was worriedly asking everyone if they had seen Ridley or knew anything about where she could have gone. The more negative answers he received, the more panicked he became. Finally, Gil told Jack to go and speak to Lord Zane. Jack raced into Zane's meeting room, and the light elf looked up at him expectantly. Jack was still gasping for breath as he spoke.
"Where's Ridley," Jack asked between breaths. "Gil said you would know."
"I do know," Zane said with a smile. "She and Gawain left the first thing this morning."
"What," Jack was stunned. "They left the Fort? Where would they go?"
"To the End of the World," Zane said levelly. "To the City of White Nights."
"I don't understand," Jack said. "Why would she…"
"The vessel has awakened, and she goes to the Gold Dragon's Lair," Zane said triumphantly.
"She was talking about that last night," said Jack. "What does it mean?"
"She will sacrifice herself to the Gold Dragon so that the world can be reset," Zane said simply.
"So, when you say…" Jack began. As realization hit him, he immediately turned and ran out the door. "I can't let that happen!"
Jack ran to his bedroom, where he retrieved the Arbitrator. While he was there, he grabbed all of the rest of his traveling gear. As soon as he had retrieved his things, Jack rushed to the courtyard. When he stepped outside, Jack saw two figures ahead. Ganz and Gil were standing under the tree next to the Journey Pig and watching him approach. Neither said a word as Jack strode up to them, but both stepped toward the Journey Pig.
"Jack, you're going after the Lady Ridley, aren't you," Ganz asked.
"Of course," Jack said with a nod.
"I thought as much," Ganz said approvingly. "Well, we must hurry then, there's no time to waste. The City of White Nights is on the far side of the Dysett Region."
"Right, said Jack. "Gil, you're coming too?"
"It looks that way, doesn't it," Gil asked in response.
"So it does," Jack said. "Thank you both."
Jack stepped toward the Journey Pig as well. His heart was threatening to break; he only knew that he could not bear to lose Ridley. As he had done so many times before, Jack formed the vision of the Lupus Gate in his mind and touched the Journey Pig.
Vegeta26: Another long delay, for which I apologize. Nevertheless, the show goes on. Thanks, as always, to those of you that continue to read and review. Please let me know what you think.
Triggerhappy Sniper: The paragraphs weren't quite as big this time around. I'm glad you're enjoying the story, and hope to hear from you again.
Weasel-Debater: It'd be really cool if Jack could see the future, but I don't know that that's the case. I look forward to hearing from you.
aguyuno: The attack on Fort Helencia is just too important to leave out. Cross' betrayal of Dynas will probably be omitted, simply because it doesn't really affect the outcome. In any case, I'm glad you're still enjoying the story, and I'm anxious to hear your continued feedback.
xdemonXchanx: I think you've got an answer to your Jack/Ridley question, yes? Hope you enjoyed this chapter.
Zeyro: There will still be updates until it's finished, so be patient and I'll make it worthwhile.
Diaz Rivaut: I appreciate both of your reviews, and your compliments as well. I saw a lot of potential in the original story and just kind of added what I thought it needed. I look forward to hearing from you again.
aphelion10: Thanks for writing a review. I'm not entirely sure if I'll go on to the Dragon Lair Cave or not. I guess we'll cross that bridge when we get to it.